ASTM D173/D173M-03 (R2018) PDF Download

ASTM D173/D173M-03 (R2018) is a standard specification that covers woven cotton fabrics that have been saturated with either asphalt or coal-tar. These fabrics are intended for use in the construction of roofing and waterproofing systems.

The cotton fabric is first thoroughly and uniformly saturated with bitumen, either by passing the fabric through the saturant or by spraying it with saturant. The saturated fabric is then calendered in the presence of heat and cooled before being wound on a core.

The standard specifies various physical and dimensional property requirements that the fabric must adhere to, such as breaking load, pliability, mass, width, thread count, moisture content, and ash content. The finished product should not crack and should not be so sticky as to cause tearing or other damage when unrolled at a given temperature.

There are also specific requirements for the type of bituminous materials that the saturated cotton fabric should be used with. Asphalt-saturated cotton fabric should be used with asphalt base plying cement, such as mopping asphalts or appropriate solvent bearing asphaltic compounds. Coal-tar-saturated cotton fabric should be used with coal-tar based plying cements, such as coal-tar pitch or appropriate solvent bearing coal-tar compounds.