ASTM Committee C27 Chairman’s Report
By Dean A. Frank
Frank was formerly NPCA’s Director of Industry Standards and ASTM Committee C27 Chairman.
This report focuses on the ongoing projects taking place in ASTM subcommittee C27.30 on Precast Concrete Water and Wastewater Containers. There are currently three active standards under the jurisdiction of C27.30:
• C890-06, “Standard Practice for Minimum Structural Design Loading for Monolithic or Sectional Precast Concrete Water and Wastewater Structures.”
• C913-02, “Standard Specification for Precast Concrete Water and Wastewater Structures.” The sub and main committees are currently balloting a proposed revision that will introduce fiber reinforcement into the specification as a nonstructural, secondary reinforcing material.
• C1227-05, “Standard Specification for Precast Concrete Septic Tanks.” The subcommittee is currently reviewing several proposed revisions, including a requirement for effluent filters in all precast concrete septic tanks; clarification of the design loading requirements; and clarification of the watertightness and structural performance requirements. The latter revision includes specific statements allowing the use of either vacuum or water testing for leakage.
In addition to the existing standards listed above, there are two new standards under the jurisdiction of C27.30:
• C1613-06, “Standard Specification
for Precast Concrete Grease Interceptors.” This specification covers design requirements, manufacturing practices, and performance requirements for monolithic or sectional precast concrete grease interceptor tanks. This specification describes precast concrete tanks installed to separate fats, oils, grease, soap scum and other typical kitchen wastes associated with the food service industry.
• C1644-06, “Standard Specification for Resilient Connectors Between Reinforced Concrete Tanks and Pipes.” Sealing the connection between the inlet and outlet pipes and precast on-site wastewater tanks has been a point of concern for several years. Existing specifications, such as ASTM C923 and C1478, didn’t meet the unique requirements of sealing precast on-site wastewater tanks. This new specification (C1644) was developed to address these critical requirements by requiring demonstration of sealing against both hydrostatic infiltration and exfiltration. The specification moves ahead of the others in addressing both potential sealing problems. Further, the specification requires testing for each pipe size and type.
Copies of both of these new specifications may be obtained from ASTM International. For more information on ASTM Committee C27 on Precast Concrete Products, please contact ASTM International at (610) 832-9585 or www.astm.org.
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