Control testing

A specification or standard for product characteristics is valid only if it is matched with references to well defined and recognized test methods, such that quality control tests conducted by the parties involved —client and supplier, for example— are comparable even if they are performed at different locations. 

Product quality specification Contractual agreements Capacity and availability Concurrent operations Monitoring and control Testing metering Standardisation Flaring and venting Waste disposal Utilities systems... 

Zinc dust of good quality usually contains only negligible quantities of halogen and sulphur, and is nitrogen-free. A blank for these elements should, however, be made with every fresh batch of reagent prepared if perceptible traces of halogen or sulphur are present, a blank or control test must be performed side by side with that on the organic compound, and the results compared. 

Prepare the zinc powder - sodium carbonate mixture by grinding together in a dry, clean mortar 25 g. of A.R. anhydrous sodium carbonate and 50 g. of the purest obtainable zinc powder. The reagent is unlikely to contain nitrogen, but traces of sulphur and halogens may be present. It is therefore essential to carry out a blank or control test for sulphur and halogens with every fresh batch of the mixture. 

Specifications, Standards, Quality Control, and Health and Safety Factors. Formerly, there was an Insulation Board Institute representing the insulation board industry, but the decline in the market and number of producers has led to its demise. Currently (ca 1997), the industry is represented by the American Hardboard Association (AHA). Specifications and standards are found in American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard for CellulosicFiberboard (7). The standard includes descriptions of the various types and classes of ftberboard, as well as requirements for physical and dimensional stabiUty properties. QuaUty control tests are limited to a few basic strength and stabiUty tests, including bending strength, bond strength, and moisture resistance. 

Fig. 4. Fatigue data for high temperature alloys (a) As vs cycles to failure for various alloys tested under strain control. (°) = testing at RT in air ...

For each specific appHcation of a mbber compound as an iasulating material, there is a minimum value of resistivity below which it does not function satisfactorily. In addition, iasulating compounds are required to withstand the effect of water, moist atmosphere, or heat without their resistivity values falling below a satisfactory level. Insulation resistance measurements frequently serve as useful control tests to detect impurities and manufactuting defects ia mbber products. 

The reaction is completed after 6—8 h at 95°C volatiles, water, and some free phenol are removed by vacuum stripping up to 140—170°C. For resins requiring phenol in only trace amounts, such as epoxy hardeners, steam distillation or steam stripping may be used. Both water and free phenol affect the cure and final resin properties, which are monitored in routine quaHty control testing by gc. OxaHc acid (1—2 parts per 100 parts phenol) does not require neutralization because it decomposes to CO, CO2, and water furthermore, it produces milder reactions and low color. Sulfuric and sulfonic acids are strong catalysts and require neutralization with lime 0.1 parts of sulfuric acid per 100 parts of phenol are used. A continuous process for novolak resin production has been described (31,32). An alternative process for making novolaks without acid catalysis has also been reported (33), which uses a... 

Mechanical properties of plastics can be determined by short, single-point quaUty control tests and longer, generally multipoint or multiple condition procedures that relate to fundamental polymer properties. Single-point tests iaclude tensile, compressive, flexural, shear, and impact properties of plastics creep, heat aging, creep mpture, and environmental stress-crackiag tests usually result ia multipoint curves or tables for comparison of the original response to post-exposure response. 

The modulus of elasticity (MOE) is related to the strength and can be used as a nondestmctive quaUty control test on high cost special refractory shapes such as sHde gate valves employed in the pouring of steel (qv). The sHde gate type must be selected to ensure chemical compatibiUty and it must be used in a way to reduce thermal shock. The performance of a properly selected and used sHde gate is direcdy related to its strength and therefore predicted by its MOE. 

Area repellents are materials that are intended to keep animals away from a broad area. They include predator scent such as Hon or tiger manure, blood meal, tankage such as putrefied slaughterhouse waste, bone tar oil, rags soaked in kerosene or creosote, and human hair (84). Although few controlled tests have been mn on these materials in the past, more recent investigations of predator odors have shown promise (85). 

Quahty control testing of siUcones utilizes a combination of physical and chemical measurements to ensure satisfactory product performance and processibihty. Eor example, in addition to the usual physical properties of cured elastomers, the plasticity of heat-cured mbber and the extmsion rate of TVR elastomers under standard conditions are important to the customer. Where the siUcone appHcation involves surface activity, a use test is frequently the only rehable indicator of performance. Eor example, the performance of an antifoaming agent can be tested by measuring the foam reduction when the sihcone emulsion is added to an agitated standard detergent solution. The product data sheets and technical bulletins from commercial siUcone producers can be consulted for more information. 

Precipitation and Purification. During the hydrolysis, control tests are made by turbidimetric titration of samples taken intermittently. When the desired degree of hydrolysis is reached, the ester is precipitated from the reaction solution into water. It is important for the precipitate to have the proper texture for subsequent washing to remove acid and salts for thermal stabilization. Before precipitation, the reaction solution is usually diluted with additional aqueous acetic acid to reduce the viscosity. If a flake texture is desired, the solution is poured into a vigorously stirred, 10—15% aqueous acetic acid. To precipitate the acetate in powder form, dilute acetic acid is added to the stirred reaction solution. In both cases, the precipitated ester is suspended in 25—30% aqueous acid solutions and finally washed with deionized water. The dilution, precipitation temperature, agitation, and strength of the acid media must be controlled to ensure uniform texture. 

Example 1 Sample Quantity for Composition Quality Control Testing An example is sampling for quality control of a 1,000 metric ton (VFg) trainload of-Ks in (9.4 mm) nominal top-size bentonite. The specification requires silica to be determined with an accuracy of plus or minus three percent for two standard errors (s.e.). With one s.e. of 1.5 percent, V is 0.000225 (one s.e. weight fraction of 0.015 squared). The problem to be solved is thus calculating weight of sample to determine sihca with the specified error variance. 

Stage inspection, checks and controls, tests and a feedback system for corrective measures. The system must help to identify the potential quality areas... 

No potential control Failure of rectifier control Test the instmment installation, ac interference... 

In well-established processes, like ethylene oxidation to ethylene oxide, quality control tests for a routinely manufactured catalyst can be very simple if the test is developed on the basis of detailed kinetic studies and modeling of the performance in a commercial reactor. Tests must answer questions that influence the economics of the commercial process. The three most important questions are ... 

The usefulness of this formula is restricted by the difficulty of obtaining good values to substitute in it. They must apply to the alloy selected, and be derived from carefully controlled tests on it. The stress value, S, reflects an engineer s Judgment in the selection of elastic limit or some arbitrary yield strength. The modulus value must match this. The restraint coefficent, K, is seldom known with any precision. 

The end point may be ehecked by noting the extent of flow of a heated pellet down a given slope or by melting point measurements. Other control tests include alcohol solubility, free phenol eontent and gelation time with 10% hexa. 

Control tests on the moulding powder include measurement of water content, flow, powder density and rate of cure. 

Quality control tests on the resins most commonly employed are for specific gravity, viscosity, colour, clarity and gel time under standard conditions,... 

Issue, control, testing and repair of lifting gear, ladders, scaffolding etc. 

This requirement is similar to that stated in clause 4.11.2 of the standard and addressed later in this chapter. The checks and rechecks required to prove that the software is capable of verifying the acceptability of product are a means of calibrating test software. However, test software does not wear or drift with age or use and so cannot be calibrated against a standard traceable to national standards. To control test software you need to consider what it is that you need to control. As a minimum you should control its use, modification, location (in terms of where it is installed), replication, and disposal. Requirements for other controls are covered in clause 4.11.2 of the standard, where they can be applied to test software. 

For drug substances and drug products, applications for enantiomers and racemates should include a stereochemically specific identity test and/or a stereochemically selective assay. The choice of control tests should be based on the method of manufacture and stability characteristics and, in the case of the finished product, its composition. 

Guidance on specifications is divided into universal tests/criteria which are considered generally applicable to all new substances/products and specific tests/criteria which may need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis when they have an impact on the quality for batch control. Tests are expected to follow the ICH guideline on analytical validation (Section 13.5.4). Identification of the drug substance is included in the universal category, and such a test must be able discriminate between compounds of closely related structure which are likely to be present. It is acknowledged here that optically active substances may need specific identification testing or performance of a chiral assay in addition to this requirement. 

The amount of process plant that can be defined accurately as automatic is relatively small, and manual intervention is often involved at some stage. The relevant design criteria are therefore often IM/12 or IM/18. In practice, fully automatic burner controllers tested and certified by British Gas are available that comply with the requirements of BS 5885. Although these have features which may not be applicable to non-automatic plant, it may be more appropriate to use such a controller, particularly as its safety is well proven. It may also be less expensive than buying and installing separate timers, relays, etc. For some processes (for example, those that do not need and cannot tolerate a long purge) such controllers may not be appropriate. 

Quality control tests are intended to detect produced materials which deviate from manufacturing specifications, and thus may result in questionable performance. The materials are usually subjected to spectrographic analysis which is the primary quality control check. The exposure tests are necessarily of short duration (hours or days), in which the test conditions attempt to reflect the environment of operation, for example using artificial seawater for a marine application. Since a property that is reproducible and indicative of a consistent quality anode is all that is required, there is no attempt to mirror, except in the crudest fashion, current density profiles. 

In conclusion it must be emphasised again that all the tests used are accelerated tests and only provide information on susceptibility to intergranular attack under the precise test conditions prevailing. They are quality control tests that may be used to demonstrate either that heat treatment has been carried out adequately or that a steel will withstand the test for a certain sensitising heat treatment. 

Design drawings Detail or fabrication drawings Materials requirements including composition, quality standards, and minimum structural properties Fabrication requirements and standards, including dimensional tolerances, allowable defects, and minimum structural properties Requirements for prototype and quality control tests and procedures Shipping and handling... 

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