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Engineering Standards

What is Standards?

What is a Standard?

"A standard can be defined as a set of technical definitions and guidelines, "how to" instructions for designers, manufacturers, and user. Standards promote safety, reliability, productivity, and efficiency in almost every industry that relies on engineering components or equipment. Standards can run from a few paragraphs to hundreds of pages, and are written by experts with knowledge and expertise in a particular field who sit on many committees."          Source: ASME

Types of standards

  • Category, type, dimension, structure, equipment, quality, grade, component, performance, durability, or safety 
  • Methods of manufacturing, methods of designing, methods of drawing, methods of using, or methods of operation of safety condition of production
  • Methods of testing, analyzing, appraising, verifying, or measuring 
  • Terms, abbreviations, symbols, marks, preferred numbers, or units 
  • Design, methods of execution, or safety conditions

What are some points to remember when using standards? 

  • Standards are voluntary. However, the government does mandate compliance with some standards as part of their regulatory processes, and penalties may be issued for noncompliance.
  • Standards are updated frequently to keep pace with changing technology -- check to see if the standard you are using is the latest version. 
  • Older, superceded versions of standards may be useful in many cases, such as legal disputes concerning the performance of a product that was manufactured when the older standard was in force.  

Identifying Standards:

  • Standards typically have a title and a report number associated with the organization that produced the standard.  Also, expect to see a revision year --- sometimes written out in full and sometimes shortened, as with using "18" for "2018."  Examples include:
    • ASTM F1511-18 - Standard Specification for Mechanical Seals for Shipboard Pump Applications
    • IEEE 1708-2014 - Wearable Cuffless Blood Pressure Measuring Devices

Source: Standards, Codes, & Specifications Guide by University of Texas Libraries https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/c.php?g=554840&p=3812748

What is Engineering Standards?

"Standards are extremely important technical documents in engineering and related technical fields.

A technical standard is an established norm or requirement. It is usually a formal document that establishes uniform engineering or technical criteria, methods, processes and practices. The documents prepared by a professional group or committee which are believed to be good and proper engineering practices and which contain mandatory requirement.

There are thousand of standards in use around the world. They cover everything from the simplest screw thread to the most complex information technology network.

By applying standards, organizations can help to ensure that their products and services are consistent, compatible, safe and effective. Today, products are assembled from components made in different countries, and are then sold around the world, so standards are more important than ever.

Standards affect nearly every product or service we encounter in our daily lives. Just imagine how difficult and dangerous it could be to change a light bulb if there were not standards concerning electric safety, voltage, and light bulb sizes."

Source: Engineering Standards by Georgia Southern University https://tinyurl.com/26ahd68u

Who Creates Standards?

Standards are created by a wide variety of organizations.  The most common are:

  • Professional societies, such as the IEEE 
  • Industrial or manufacturing associations, such as the American Wire Rope Manufacturers 
  • Governmental agencies or bodies, such as the U.S. Department of Defense
  • Companies, such as General Motors [Company standards are often proprietary and therefore are available only to approved subcontractors.]  
  • International bodies, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
  • The ISO is a non-governmental organization that both creates and approves international standards.  ISO deals with all subject areas except electrical and electrotechnical matters; these are handled by the International Electrotechnical Association (IEC).

Many countries also have national standardization organizations.  Country standards are in the language of the country.  English translations are not typically available.

Source: Standards, Codes, & Specifications Guide by University of Texas Libraries https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/c.php?g=554840&p=3812748

How Are Standards Developed?

“Like a symphony, it takes a lot of people working together to develop a standard. ISO’s role is similar to that of a conductor, while the orchestra is made up of independent technical experts nominated by our members. The experts form a technical committee that is responsible for a specific subject area. They begin the process with the development of a draft that meets a specific market need. This is then shared for commenting and further discussion. The voting process is the key to consensus. If that’s achieved then the draft is on its way to becoming an ISO standard. If agreement isn’t reached then the draft will be modified further, and voted on again. From first proposal to final publication, developing a standard usually takes about 3 years.”

Source: ISO

History of U.S. Engineering Standards

"The standards movement was originally founded as the American Engineering Standards Committee (AESC) on October 19, 1918. Its mission was to serve as the unified, national coordinator in the standards development process and to serve as an impartial organization to approve national consensus standards. The AESC came about through the collaboration of The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (now IEEE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers (AIMME), and the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM)."

Source: Archimedes Archive: The History of U.S. Engineering Standards  https://appel.nasa.gov/2010/02/28/ao_2-4_sf_archimedes-html/