Designation: F 2523 – 05

Standard Practice for

Blowout Resistance of Room-Temperature Vulcanized
Elastomers1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation F 2523; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope 3.2.2.1 Discussion—This interface may exist as a small gap

1.1 This practice provides a means to determine the blowout requiring a material such as room-temperature vulcanized
resistance of a room-temperature vulcanized elastomer system elastomer (RTV) to seal.
(RTV) using a standard fixture. 3.3 Acronym:
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as 3.3.1 RTV—room-temperature vulcanized elastomer
standard. No other units of measurement are included in this 4. Summary of Practice
standard.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the 4.1 Condensation cures RTVs as a one-component system
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the cure when exposed to moisture in the ambient air or as
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- two-component systems when those components are mixed
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- together. RTVs are often used to seal joints where three flanges
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. meet (T joints) such as an automotive engine’s front cover,
engine block, and oil pan. Because of machining and assembly
2. Referenced Documents tolerance variations, these T joints may have a slight misalign-
2.1 ASTM Standards: 2 ment or gap. We also find gaps in the half-round area of the oil
D 907 Terminology of Adhesives pan to block and in the valley between the intake manifold and
D 1566 Terminology Relating to Rubber block on certain V-engines as a result of manufacturing
F 2468 Classification for Specifying Silicone Adhesives and tolerances. The RTV is used to seal in fluids. In some assembly
Sealants for Transportation Applications line applications, soon after the RTV is applied and the flanges
2.2 SAE Standard: fastened together, the system is subjected to an air decay test at
SAE J1199 Mechanical and Material Requirements for a designated pressure. This test is used to determine an RTV’s
Metric Externally Threaded Steel Fasteners3 capability to withstand loss of integrity at this designated
pressure.
3. Terminology 4.2 When using this practice, one must first determine the
3.1 Definitions—Some terms in this practice are defined in maximum gap based on stack tolerances of the system. A
Terminologies D 907 and D 1566. two-piece round fixture uses the top portion to mirror the
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard: system gap, while the bottom half provides the mating flange
3.2.1 blowout, n—disruption of the uncured RTV integrity and the connection for the pressure input. The gap is machined
in a joint from system pressurization resulting in sudden loss of into the top half of the fixture in a “pie slice” 60° angle. A
pressure. continuous bead of RTV is applied to the entire bottom portion
3.2.2 T–joint, n—interface created in a sealing surface of the fixture, the top half is carefully attached, and the fixture
where three structural components meet. is pressurized to the prescribed limits and held for a specified
time period. If the RTV is not capable of sealing at the pressure
applied, a sudden loss of pressure will occur.
1
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F03 on Gaskets and
is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F03.70 on Formed in Place Gaskets. 5. Significance and Use
Current edition approved Oct. 1, 2005. Published November 2005.
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or 5.1 This practice may be used to determine the viability of
contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM an RTV sealant to withstand pressure leak testing before cure
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on at maximum gap conditions of a system. This practice may be
the ASTM website.
3
Available from Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), 400 Commonwealth
used to indicate an RTV’s acceptability to undergo an assembly
Dr., Warrendale, PA 15096-0001. line leak check without being disruptive to the sealant integrity.

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

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 F 2523 – 05

NOTE—Torque sequence shall be “crisscross” pattern.

FIG. 1 Steel Blowout Fixtures

6. Apparatus 4 6.1.1 Steel casting, forging, or bar stock with a 100 Brinell
6.1 Fixture—Steel, see Fig. 1. hardness, minimum.
6.1.2 Surface finish shall be in the range of 0.7 to 3.2 µm Ra.
4
The sole source of supply of the blowout fixtures in both materials known to the 6.1.3 Top half of fixture shall have a machined cutout to the
committee at this time is Kovil Manufacturing, 925 Sherman Ave., Hamden, CT desired gap depth per Fig. 1.
06514. If you are aware of alternative suppliers, please provide this information to
ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consider- 6.1.4 Four nut, bolt, and washer sets per SAE J1199 (4.8
ation at a meeting of the responsible technical committee,1 which you may attend. hex head) or equivalent, M10 3 1.5 3 50.

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 F 2523 – 05

NOTE—Torque sequence shall be “crisscross” pattern.

FIG. 2 Aluminum Blowout Fixtures

6.2 Fixture—Aluminum, see Fig. 2. 6.2.4 Four nut, bolt, and washer sets per SAE J1199 (4.8
6.2.1 Aluminum casting, forging, or bar stock with 60 hex head) or equivalent, M10 3 1.5 3 50.
Brinell hardness, minimum. 6.3 Air supply and regulator.
6.2.2 Surface finish shall be in the range of 0.7 to 3.2 µm Ra.
6.4 Polyethylene tubing (or equivalent), polytetrafluoroeth-
6.2.3 Top half of fixture shall have a machined cutout to the
ylene (PTFE) pipe tape, plastic, or brass tube fittings.
desired gap depth, per Fig. 2.

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 F 2523 – 05
6.5 Inline pressure gage or equivalent, 0 to 138 kPa, 10.4.9 Disassemble and clean the fixture thoroughly, remov-
accurate to 60.7 kPa. ing all traces of RTV.
6.6 Timing device with 1-s increments. 10.4.10 Repeat Steps 10.4.1 to 10.4.9 a second time.
6.7 Measuring device, capable of measuring an adhesive 10.4.11 If the second result is within 610 % of the first
bead height of 2 mm. result, report the average blowout time to the nearest second.
6.8 Environmentally controlled room (temperature, humid- 10.4.12 If the second result is in excess of 610 % of the
ity monitoring, and control). first, repeat until a consistent value is obtained.
10.5 Method B—Maximum Blowout Pressure Determina-
7. Reagents and Materials tion:
7.1 Cleaning Solvent—Isopropyl alcohol. 10.5.1 Method B shall be done at or near maximum
7.2 Clean, lint-free cloth. application/flow rate of the sealant.
10.5.2 Open exhaust valve to prevent any pretest internal
8. Conditioning pressure and close inlet ball valve.
8.1 Sample containers shall be allowed to equilibrate to 21 10.5.3 Apply a continuous 2-mm bead on the flange of the
to 25°C. Time required may vary depending on the size of bottom fixture.
container and previous storage conditions. 10.5.4 Apply the top half of the fixture taking care not to
move the fixture horizontally.
9. Initial Step 10.5.5 Tighten bolts to 2.8 kg·m 6 10 %.
9.1 Connect air supply to regulator and to pressure gage 10.5.6 Close exhaust valve.
using polyethylene tubing. Plastic or brass press fit fittings may 10.5.7 Immediately after assembly (within 2 min of RTV
be used for the connection points, depending on the adaptor application), open the ball valve and start increasing the
connection on the three components. Fittings threads shall have pressure by 6.9 kPa every 5 s until the initial pressure 20.7 kPa
pipe sealant applied before installing into fixtures. is reached.
9.2 Connect tube to bottom fixture with a brass fitting 10.5.8 Start the timer. If no loss of pressure occurs after 1
containing pipe sealant applied around threads. min, increase pressure by 13.8 kPa. Start the timer. Repeat this
9.3 Block off open hole of fixture with a properly secured process until failure occurs and record this value.
rubber stopper or compress a soft silicone plaque against the 10.5.9 Disassemble and clean the fixture thoroughly, remov-
hole. Check for leaks at the various connection points by ing all traces of RTV.
spraying a dilute liquid soap and water solution5 while looking 10.5.10 Repeat Steps 10.5.1 through 10.5.9, using the value
for air bubbles. obtained in 10.5.8. If this again results in a failure, clean the
9.4 Test environment shall be set at 21 to 25°C, and 40 6 fixture and repeat the process using the value obtained in 10.5.8
10 % relative humidity. minus 6.9 kPa.
10.5.11 If failure occurs, repeat the process of cleaning and
10. Procedure applying fresh RTV and testing, each time reducing the
10.1 Choose a fixture with the desired machined gap. pressure until a “pass” occurs, then record this pressure.
10.2 Make sure all traces of cured or uncured RTV from 10.5.12 Repeat the test a second time at this pressure to
previous test have been removed. verify a “pass.” Report this value as the maximum blowout
10.3 Following the initial setup instructions in Section 9, pressure.
verify the system is free of leaks.
10.4 Method A—Time to Blowout at a Specified Pressure: 11. Potential Failure Modes of Test Procedure
10.4.1 Preset pressure regulator to the applicable test pres-
11.1 Inconsistent results in the procedure may be due to
sure.
several reasons and shall be reviewed. Some of these may be:
10.4.2 Open exhaust valve to prevent any pretest internal
11.1.1 Inconsistent RTV bead applied.
pressure and close inlet ball valve.
11.1.2 Misplacement of bead.
10.4.3 Apply a continuous 2-mm bead on the flange of the
11.1.3 Air entrapment in RTV bead.
bottom fixture.
11.1.4 Improper gap.
10.4.4 Apply the top half of the fixture, taking care not to
11.1.5 Improper torque sequence or setting.
move the fixture horizontally.
11.1.6 Contamination by improperly cleaned fixture.
10.4.5 Tighten bolts to 2.8 kg·m 6 10 %.
11.1.7 Faulty pressure regulator or pressure measurement
10.4.6 Close exhaust valve.
device or both.
10.4.7 Immediately after assembly (within 2 min of RTV
11.1.8 Air leaks within the system, some of which can vary
application) open ball valve to pressurize the system quickly to
via fixture handling and movement.
the preset pressure.
10.4.8 Start the timer and record the time in seconds at
12. Report
which the sudden loss of pressure occurs. If no loss of pressure
occurs after 1 min, report it as “>60 s.” 12.1 Report shall consist of:
12.1.1 Material classification per Classification F 2468,
12.1.2 Fixture type used in the evaluation,
5
Commercially available products exist from a wide variety of distributors. 12.1.3 Fixture gap used in the evaluation,

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 F 2523 – 05
12.1.4 Laboratory test environment (temperature and rela- 13. Keywords
tive humidity) and location,
13.1 blowout; room temperature vulcanizing; RTV; T–joint
12.1.5 Material supplier and product code,
12.1.6 Application rate(s) evaluated,
12.1.7 Method used, and
12.1.8 Average blowout time in seconds for Method A along
with test pressure and maximum blowout resistance pressure
for Method B.

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