ENR3001
Non-technical Aspects
of Engineering
Serhan Kırlangıç
Engineering Standards
What They are and Why
They are Used
1
Lecture Objectives
• A brief history of standardization
• What is a standard?
• Types of standards
• Who creates them?
• How to access them?
Standardization
Standars are someting that most of us accept as
part of our everyday life.
Standards make daily life much convenient in many
ways, such as
• Light bulbs fit into lamps
• Electronic files are transferred over internet
• Trains move between the states and so on...
Standard: A standard is a document that defines the
characteristics of a product, process or service,
such as dimensions, safety aspects, and
performance requirements. In other words,
standards establish uniform characteristics for
materials and methods of measurement.
Lessons From History
Case 1
In the earliest days of recorded measurement, the
“Royal Egyptian Cubit” was decreed to be equal to
the length of the forearm from the bent elbow to
the tip of the extended middle finger plus the
width of the palm of the hand of the King ruling at
that time.
Though the method used to define a unit of
measure was fixed, the measurement itself could
change over time depending upon the height of the
current King and the lengths of his arm.
Lessons From History
Case 2
In the US, up until 1860 the railway companies used
to have their own railroad track gauge (i.e. the
distance between the rails), which hindered the
interchangeablitiy of the railroad cars.
Once 4 feet and 8.5 inches is agreed on as the
standard track gauge by the learders in the railroad
industry, the interchangeability of railroad cars
across the country became possible.
Lessons From History
Case 3
More than a century ago, a great fire ravaged
Baltimore, Maryland, for more than 30 hours in
early 1904. More than 1,231 firefighters were
required to bring the blaze under control.
One reason for the fire's long duration was the lack
of national standards in fire-fighting equipment.
Although fire engines from cities as far away as
Philadelphia, Atlantic City, and New York City
responded, many were useless because their hose
couplings failed to fit Baltimore hydrants. As a
result, the fire burned over 30 hours, destroying
1,526 buildings.
The National Fire Protection Association, which had
been established in 1896 after a number of
disastrous large-scale fires, then set about to
develop uniform sprinkler systems and standard
hose couplings.
How they are used
• Standards are a “COMMUNICATION” tool that
allows all users to speak the same language when
reacting to products or processes.
• They provide a “Legal,” or at least enforceable,
means to evaluate acceptability and sale-ability of
products and/or services.
• They can be taught and applied globally.
• They, ultimately, are designed to protect the
public from questionable designs, products and
practices.
• “They teach us, as engineers, how we can best
meet environmental, health, safety and societal
responsibilities.
The Impact of Standards
on Business and Industry
• Roughly 80% of global trade is affected by
standards and by regulations.
• This means standardization affects all products and
services used or traded by the countries.
• Standards play a key role in the transfer of
technology, from the research and development
stage, to production, and ultimately to a product's
success in the marketplace.
• They simplify product development, reduce
unnecessary duplication, lower costs, increase
productivity, ensure safety and compatibility,
enhance the acceptance of new products, maintain
uniformity in product quality.
• By being part of the standards development
process, industry representatives help to shape a
standard so that the finished document meets their
individual needs, as well as the needs of any
customers they may have.
Some Background
• Standards development in the United States began
more than a hundred years ago. In the early 1900s,
focus shifted to a more formal approach for
avoiding duplication, waste and conflict date.
• In 1916 the American Institute of Electrical
Engineers (now IEEE) invited 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)
to join in establishing a national body to coordinate
standards development and to serve as a
clearinghouse for the work of standards developing
agencies.
• That organization eventually came to be known as
the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
• Today, standards are developed by hundreds of
professional and technical organizations
representing a wide variety of industries including
aerospace, civil engineering, telecommunications,
and transportation.
Standards-related Legislation
Standards activities of state and local governments
are often focused on building codes - which relate,
in turn, to building and construction materials,
workplace safety, and environmental protection.
Building codes enforced by public authorities set
requirements for important aspects of construction
such as electrical wiring, plumbing, and materials.
Local authorities also require compliance to water
and air quality standards that set limits on the
pollutants that may be emitted into the
environment.
National vs. International
Standards
Historically, standards throughout the world were
national in scope, often set by government-funded
national standards bodies. Each country's market
was considered distinct; standards were developed
to serve a country's particular needs and to benefit
the domestic supplier.
Today the importance of developing international
standards is more apparent as many industries are
becoming global. A decade ago, 80% of all
standardization activities of the European
standards bodies focused on national work, with the
remainder related to European and international
development efforts. Today, this ratio is reversed:
80% of standards work is international.
In the United States, due to increased access to
world markets and global competition, there is an
increased emphasis on developing global
standards and less momentum for developing U.S.
standards. When products and services are
standardized and accepted globally, we benefit
from lower prices as result of significant
efficiencies in product development,
manufacturing, distribution and sales processes.
Compatibility of National and
International Standards
Stronger reliance on Diversity in culture, language
international standards does and customs result in
not mean the demise of different standards for such
national standards bodies. things as packaging and
While international standards labeling. National standards
have been widely accepted in bodies play an important role
many areas, significant in resolving these
differences still exist between differences and help to
standards in many countries. ensure that international
Fundamental differences in standards are compatible
technology include variations in with national practices.
electrical voltage and
frequencies used in different
parts of the world.
Harmonization of Standards
Standards for similar products approved by different
national standards bodies can create barriers to
trade for companies that market their products
globally. Companies that must redesign and
customize their products to meet the requirements
of different countries incur additional expenses.
Harmonizing standards can reduce trade barriers
and facilitate access to markets. Harmonized
standards as defined by the ISO are “equivalent
standards on the same subject approved by
different standardization bodies, that establish
interchangeability of products, processes and
services, mutual understanding of test results or
information provided according to these
standards.“
Efforts to harmonize national standards are under
way in many industry sectors, such as electrical
safety standards in North America. The United
States, Canada, and Mexico have also had success in
developing harmonized standards for rail cars and
tank trucks. For the last decade, the aim of
European standardization has been to harmonize
standards across all European countries thereby
facilitating the exchange of goods and services
regionally.
Changes in Standards
Development
Standards development has for standards developers to
changed in some fundamental keep pace with market
ways. Increasingly, standards changes, technical
development has become developments, and business
proactive rather than reactive. requirements. Performance
Historically, standards were standards are becoming
developed to codify products or more prevalent than design
processes and to solve standards.
problems.
Historically, products were
For example, screw threads for built to specific design
fire hoses were standardized in standards and were required
the early-20th century when it to conform to specified
became clear that requirements. This is
incompatible hose couplings changing with greater
were hindering fire-fighting reliance on performance
efforts in many states. standards.
Today, to keep up with Performance standards
technological changes, allow a manufacturer to
standards developers are design a product using a
setting anticipatory standards. variety of techniques,
Anticipatory standards provided that the resulting
describe technologies that are product meets the
in development. In addition, established performance
proactive standards measures. Design standards
developers establish are more restrictive and can
procedures to monitor market inhibit innovation to a
requirements and work with greater degree than
industry on issues of strategic performance standards.
importance.
Increasingly, it is a challenge
Interoperability and
Data Exchange
Standards developed for platforms and systems.
complete systems or Standards for file formats and
processes enable all character sets help to simplify
components to work data interchange.
together. By designing and
manufacturing to standards, For example, the Extensible
it is possible to ensure a Markup Language, or XML, is
basic level of interoperability a simple, flexible text format
for components from derived from the international
different companies. This standard ISO 8879, the
saves redesigning a product Standard Generalized
for each new system. Mark-up Language. XML is
plays an important role in
By adhering to standards a the exchange of data on the
manufacturer can ensure Web.
interoperability, increase the
potential market for its
product, and improve the
opportunity to benefit from
economies of scale.
Data interchange takes place
when information from one
system is transferred to
another system where it can
be processed. Computer
hardware and peripherals
incorporate many standards.
A data interchange standard
solves problems relating to
electronically transferring
data across different
The Strategic Importance
of Standards
Standards have evolved from being a technical
consideration to being a business issue of strategic
importance.
Traditionally, standards development and use within a
corporation was the domain of the engineering
department. Today, companies recognize that
standards are a core business issue. These companies
support Strategic Standardization - a management
discipline that organizes an organization’s
standardization resources and ensures that a
standards policy is an integral part of the corporate
and business strategy.
Not only do these companies see the value in using
standards, they recognize that participating in
standards development ensures that they will be able
to compete globally on a level.
Several of the most successful U.S. businesses credit
the strategic adoption of standards in processes and
products with helping them achieve industry
leadership.
TYPES OF STANDARDS
The 95,000+ standards that exist in the United States
today have been developed by more than 600
organizations. Globally the numbers increase
exponentially: estimates point to more than half a
million standards produced by more than 1,000
standard-setting organizations worldwide.
Whether domestic or global, standards apply to
thousands of products and industries. These can be
classified by function or by origin, and may be of more
than one type.
Eight basic types of standards by function:
• Basic standards
• Product standards
• Design standards
• Process standards
• Specifications
• Codes
• Management System Standards
• Personnel Certification Standards
Basic Standards
These are the primary or fundamental standards for
weights and measures (legal metrology).
They are developed for physical measurement and
promotes uniformity in weights and measures to
achieve equity between buyers and sellers in the
marketplace.
The International Organization of Legal Metrology
(OIML) is in charge of promoting the global
harmonization of legal metrology procedures.
Products Standards
There are standards for the physical, chemical,
electrical and mechanical characteristics of products
and materials.
Product standards establish conformity and
interoperability by defining dimensions and qualities
such as shape, volume, speed, etc.
Examples of product standards are those for 35 mm
film, banking, credit and telephone cards and
fasteners such as nuts and bolts.
Environmental product standards specify, within
various tolerances, the physical or chemical
properties of a product, such as the limits on
contaminants in food products, noise standards for
consumer appliances and emissions levels for
automobiles.
Performance Criteria versus Design Criteria
Product standards can be classified as either
defining performance criteria or design criteria.
Performance Standards
Performance standards specify the level of
expected performance for a product and may
include test methods that simulate performance
under actual conditions.
Examples of performance standards include the
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
(AHAM) performance test procedures for
appliances and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission standards under which clothing
textiles are tested and regulated for
flammability.
Design Standards
Design standards specify the design or technical
characteristics of a product in terms of how it is
to be constructed.
An example of a design standard is ANSI/TPI
1-2002, National Design Standard for Design of
Metal-Plate-Connected Wood Truss
Construction, developed by the Truss Plate
Institute.
Process Standards
Process standards are concerned with the series of
actions or operations used in making a product and
provide the methodology to perform these processes
in a consistent and reproducible way.
API 1104, Standard for Welding of Pipelines, is an
example of a process standard developed by the
American Petroleum Institute.
Specif ications and Codes
Specifications
A specification is a set of conditions and
requirements of precise and limited application that
provide a detailed description of a procedure,
process, material, product, or service for use
primarily in procurement and manufacturing.
Standards may be referenced or included in
specifications.
Codes
Codes are collections of mandatory standards that
have been codified by government authorities and
become law.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and NFPA
International National Fire Code are examples are
examples of widely adopted codes.
Management System Standards
Management system standards specify requirements
that can be applied to any organization, regardless of
the product it makes or the service it performs. Two
of the most widely known series of international
standards that fall into this category are:
• The ISO 9000 series for managing quality systems:
The ISO 9000 standards are designed to help
companies improve the manufacturing process and
set up quality systems in the design, development,
production, installation, testing, inspection and
servicing of products.
• The ISO 14000 series for environmental
management systems: The ISO 14000 standards
provide guidance on several aspects of
environmental management, including
environmental auditing, performance evaluation and
life cycle assessment.
Personnel Certification Standards
Personnel certification programs help to verify that
individuals have the necessary knowledge, skills and
abilities to perform their work.
Certification of personnel provides continual
improvement in professional competence and leads
to a highly skilled workforce, particularly within
industries that have an impact on public safety such
as food protection.
Global recognition of these programs increases the
potential for national and international reciprocity of
certified individuals and creates an internationally
recognized framework and evaluation system.
The international standard, ISO/IEC
17024, has been developed to achieve
and promote a globally accepted
benchmark for bodies managing the
certification of persons.
Classifying Standards by Origin
What is the Source of the Standardization?
Standards can also be classified by their origin or
where they were developed. There are four principal
sources for standards:
• Company standards
• Trade associations and professional societies
• Government
• Consortia
• De facto
In addition, standards can be classified by their
scope:
• National
• Regional
• International
Company Standards
Most manufacturing companies, such as Ford and the
Boeing Company, develop internal documents for
their own use that define such activities as production
processes, material characteristics, and purchasing
requirements.
In addition to being used internally, suppliers to such
companies must meet company standards in order to
do business with these companies.
Trade Association Standards
Standards development is often a program activity of
national trade associations. For instance in US, four
trade associations that develop American National
Standards are:
• National Electrical Manufacturers Association
(NEMA)
• Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)
• American Gear Manufacturers Association
(AGMA)
• Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI)
Trade associations, whose members include
companies in the same business serving a specific
industry, will develop standards for use within their
industries.
Professional Society Standards
Professional societies representing individual
professionals in a specific profession have a long
history of developing standards that support and
advance their professional interests. Groups such as
the:
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• American Society for Mechanical Engineers
(ASME)
• Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE) have active and influential standards
programs.
Government Standards
Standards are also written by governments for
procurement and regulatory purposes.
Government standards are mandatory standards, as
they are enforced through legislation and regulation
or through contractual requirements for sale to
government purchasers.
Consortia Standards
• Standards are developed by companies or groups
with similar interests and are typically created to
meet the need for standards in less time than those
developed by more formal organizations.
• The term consortia is often used interchangeably
with industry groups and de facto standards bodies.
Examples of consortia include the Process Industry
Practices (PIP), United States Council for Automotive
Research (USCAR) and the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C).
• While consortia normally operate outside the
traditional standards development structure, some
consortia recognize that their acceptance might be
more widespread if their informal standards received
a technical review by experts outside their
organization.
Properties of Consortia Standards
• Unlike the de facto standards already in use
in the market place, consortia standards are
developed by companies who agreed to work
together to solve a specific need in the market.
• Consortia document may offer a solution to
the problem.
• The participation in the problem solving team
is limited to the member of the consortium.
• Require a significant financial commitment as
a condition of participation.
De Facto Standards
• De facto (ad hoc) standards are based on common
practices that are well- established.
• De facto standards for format, language, or
protocol, have wide general acceptance although
they are not formally recognized by a standards
developer.
• A de facto standard develops outside of the
traditional framework of the consensus standards.
• It usually appeals to a more narrow market than
the standards developed by the volunteer standard
focus organizations.
• A de facto standard becomes a standard because it
is widely used, not because it was officially approved
by some standards organization or government.
• The marketplace determines the acceptance of a
de facto standard.
• Common de facto standards
include the arrangement of keys
on a typewriter or keyboard
(QWERTY keyboard) and the
MS-DOS computer operating
system.
National Standards
A national standard is either written by or adopted by
a national standards body.
For instance in the United States, the national
standards body is ANSI (American National
Standards Institute), whereas engineers may also
encounter standards from other countries such as:
• Germany (DIN)
• Japan (JIS)
• UK (BSI)
Standards may be written by organizations
accredited by a national standards body and
submitted for approval as national standards.
National standards may or may not be mandatory,
depending upon whether they have or have not been
adopted into regulations
In the US:
• The U.S. federal government is the largest single
creator and user of standards: more than 45,000 (by
current estimates).
• There are about 210 organization in U.S. that are
designated Standard Development Organizations
(SDO’s)
• Most Standards (about 90%) come from about 20 of
these SDO’s.
• ASTM, ASME, IEEE, AISI (ASM), ASCE, MilStd (Mil
Specs), are some of the most important SDO’s.
Regional Standards
Regional organizations, such as the European
Committee for Standardization (CEN), develop
standards for use within a particular geographic area
or region.
Members are the national standards bodies
representing countries in the region.
International Standards
International standards are developed by such
organizations as:
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
whose members represent national standards bodies
that participate in the development of international
standards.
ASTM International and American Society of
Mechanical Engineers (ASME), whose technical
committees include members from many countries
and whose standards are used worldwide, also
develop international standards.
EVOLUTION OF STANDARDS
Standards are dynamic. They are often developed for
use by one group, and then used by other
communities, either by adoption, ratification, or
reference, or by incorporation into other standards.
In the international arena, national, regional and
international standards bodies commonly adopt each
other's standards. It is more efficient and expedient
to adopt an already agreed upon standard that has
gone through the standards development process
and that reflects current technology than to develop a
new standard.
In the United States an international standard can be
adopted as a national standard which may enhance
domestic business.
National standards bodies in Europe are obliged to
transpose European regional standards and to
withdraw conflicting national standards.
An example is the ISO 9000 series of standards,
which originated from a British Standards Institution
initiative. They were later adopted as European
standards by CEN (European Committee for
Standardization), and then published as harmonized
standards by the European national standards
bodies.
Permutations of Standards
Development
The following examples demonstrate the various
permutations of standards development.
International standards are adopted for regional use:
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
international product standard (IS) is adopted by
European Committee for Standardization (CEN) for
use in European region as a European Standard (EN).
• EN ISO 14630: Non-active surgical implants –
General Requirements.
Regional standards are adopted for national use:
A European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
regional performance standard (EN) is adopted by the
German standardization body (DIN) for use in
Germany.
• DIN EN 60192 - Low-pressure sodium vapor
lamps - Performance specifications (IEC
60192:2001); German version (EN 60192:2001).
International standards are adopted for national use:
An international ISO design standard is adopted for
use in the United States by the American Petroleum
Institute (API).
• American Petroleum Institute SPEC 6D - ISO
14313:1999, Petroleum and Natural Gas Indus-
tries-Pipeline Transportation Systems-Pipeline.
National standards are adopted for international use:
A U.S. process standard developed by ASTM Interna-
tional is adopted by ISO for international use.
• ISO/ASTM 51261-2002(E) - Standard Guide for
Selection and Calibration of Dosimetry Systems
for Radiation Processing
How Do I Find Standards?
• Standards can be difficult to locate. They are issued
irregularly and the citation you have may not be the
most recent version. They can also be deleted or
updated under a different name.
• First, identify which organization or agency
published the desired standard to determine where
to begin your search.
• Some standards are indexed in full-text
subscription databases, such as those published by
ASTM and IEEE.
• Some standards are freely available from
government or organization websites.
• Some standards may be in print format only, such
as those published by SAE.
• Search for standards titles in the library catalog.
However, many such standards will not be available
in the University library collection, as they can be
quite expensive to purchase.
• If you cannot locate the standard you need, use the
request service, and the library's interlibrary loan
staff will try to locate a copy. Be aware that standards
can also be difficult to locate and borrow via
interlibrary loan from other libraries.
MAJOR STANDARDS
RESOURCES
• ASTM Standards and Engineering Digital Library:
Find standards of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers in their database.
• ASCE Standards: Standards of the American
Society of Civil Engineers can be accessed from the
ASCE website.
• ASHRAE Standards and Guidelines: Online library
of professional standards and guidelines for
refrigeration processes and the design and
maintenance of indoor environments.
• IEEE Xplore: Standards by the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineering can be found in IEEE
Xplore, an electrical engineering indexing/full-text
database. IEEE Smart Grid Research standards are
included.
• Publicly Available ISO Standards: Some ISO
standards are made available publicly without charge
via this website.
• Standards.gov: A website portal to standards used
by federal government agencies for regulatory and
procurement purposes. Provided by the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
• NASA Technical Standards Program: Browse for
standards used by the National Aeronautics and
Space Agency (NASA) in engineering activities.
• Free Access NFPA Codes & Standards: Some codes
and standards of the National Fire Protection
Association are made freely available in the interest
of public safety.
• Standards Incorporated By Reference: ANSI portal
to standards (ISO, IEC and some others) made
available as Read Only (no downloading) due to their
reference in law. Note: Standards included are not
always the latest version.
