ASTM D579/D579M-24 PDF

Overview

ASTM D579/D579M-24 defines the standard practice for greige woven glass fabrics, primarily constructed from “E” type electrical glass fiber yarns. This international standard, developed by ASTM, specifies the general and physical requirements for glass fiber fabrics that are supplied in their unfinished, or greige, state. These fabrics are widely used in composites, insulation, electrical, and structural applications.

The standard ensures consistency in fabric properties, appearance, and performance by establishing terminology, quality requirements, test methods, and acceptance criteria for both suppliers and purchasers. It also provides practical substitutes for certain military specifications, thereby supporting both commercial and defense industry needs.

Key Topics

• Material Requirements

  • Utilizes continuous filament “E” glass fiber yarns, which must be free of free alkali metal salts and impurities.
  • Allows for the use of organic sizing agents to facilitate weaving.

• Physical Properties

  • Reveals requirements for fabric count (warp and filling yarn numbers), filament diameter, strand construction, twist direction (“Z” for singles, “S” for plied), twist level, and acceptable weave types (e.g., plain, leno, crowfoot, eight-harness satin, twelve-harness satin).
  • Specifies tolerances for properties such as mass per unit area, thickness, and width.

• Defect Classification and Quality Assurance

  • Details major and minor fabric defects (such as bowed filling, bagginess, tears, holes, stains, broken ends or picks, selvage flaws, and foreign inclusions).
  • Sets acceptable quality levels (AQLs) for inspection and batch acceptance.

• Testing and Sampling Methods

  • Refers to industry-standard ASTM test methods for determining fabric count, yarn properties, thickness, mass, strength, and ignition loss.
  • Provides protocols for lot sampling, laboratory sample sizing, and specimen preparation.

Applications

• Composite Manufacturing Greige woven glass fabrics serve as reinforcement material in composite laminates, used for aerospace, automotive, and marine components due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and electrical insulation properties.

• Electrical Insulation and Equipment "E" glass fabrics are valued for their dielectric properties, making them suitable for insulating electrical components and as substrates in printed circuit boards.

• Construction and Civil Engineering Used in structural supports, overlays, and other applications where fire resistance and dimensional stability are critical.

• Filtration and Industrial Textiles The chemical stability and uniformity of glass fiber fabrics make them ideal for filtration systems and industrial process textiles.

• Military and Defense ASTM D579/D579M-24 is recognized as a replacement for older military specifications (MIL-Y-1140, MIL-C-9084) for yarns, tapes, and cloths in defense equipment.

Related Standards

• ASTM D578/D578M - Specification for Glass Fiber Strands
• ASTM D123 - Terminology Relating to Textiles
• ASTM D1059 - Test Method for Yarn Number
• ASTM D1423/D1423M - Test Method for Twist in Yarns
• ASTM D1776/D1776M - Practice for Conditioning and Testing Textiles
• ASTM D3775 - Test Method for Fabric Count
• ASTM D3776/D3776M - Test Methods for Mass Per Unit Area
• ASTM D1777 - Test Method for Thickness of Textile Materials
• ASTM D5035 - Test Method for Breaking Force and Elongation of Textile Fabrics
• ANSI/ASQC Z1.4 - Sampling Procedures for Inspection by Attributes

ASTM D579/D579M-24 provides a robust framework for the specification, testing, and quality assurance of greige woven glass fiber fabrics. By consistently applying this standard, manufacturers and users can ensure reliable performance in critical applications across industries. The document is essential for those sourcing, applying, or certifying glass fiber woven fabrics for advanced technical uses.