Standardization News

ASTM International’s committee on steel, stainless steel, and related alloys (A01) is developing a proposed standard that will provide requirements for precision sharp-cornered laser and laser-hybrid carbon steel square and rectangular tube and guidance on the specification of open sections used in architectural and industrial applications.  

ASTM International member Catherine Houska notes that the material covered in the proposed standard is being used more often in structural applications where extruded aluminum does not satisfy structural requirements, and where hot rolled profiles or cold formed rounded corner carbon steel hollow structural sections do not provide the necessary precision. 

“Use of these products eliminates or reduces machining that might otherwise be required,” says Houska,  president, Catherine Houska Consulting, LLC. “Moreover, laser fused profiles allow a higher level of flexibility in terms of customization and do not have the  minimum quantity requirements  of conventional production methods.” 

According to Houska, the products covered by the proposed standard are being used in the production of life safety-critical structural sections such as:

• Structural curtain wall mullions and other sections, including blast-resistant designs,
• Egress stairs and treads,
• Canopies,
• Exposed structures
• Window frames, and other building applications.
  

“While the current applications are mainly building focused, these products have also been used in aerospace, defense, and for  infrastructure,” says Houska. The proposed standard will be useful to both fabricators and designers who want to use precision sharp-corned laser and laser-hybrid products. 

The committee invites all interested parties to help develop the proposed standard (WK75029) and to review drafts prior to balloting. Become a member of ASTM.