The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a Standard Reference Manual (SRM) 2696 Silica Fume to check the accuracy of existing laboratory practices and provide a tool for instrument calibration. Authors note that it will help minimize erroneous testing, simplify the test process through standardization, and provide the user/specifier reliable data. Certified values are now established for SiO2 and six other chemical constituents, plus reference values for five chemical constituents and the physical measurement parameter specific surface area. All values are a product of extensive testing by NIST and collaborating laboratories from state departments of transportation, universities, commercial testing laboratories, distributors and manufacturers.

SRM 2696 is the culmination of a five-year development project carried out by the SFA and NIST and financed in part by the Federal Highway Administration. “The Silica Fume Standard Reference Material was developed in response to the increased use of silica fume as an ingredient of high performance concrete,” says Gary Gapinski, who managed the project on behalf of the Silica Fume Association.

“Many states have developed HPC specifications that use silica fume and have implemented specifications for chemical composition and physical properties of silica fume, which has created a need for a suitable certified reference material,” adds SFA Executive Director Dr. Terence Holland.m

Each unit of SRM 2696 consists of a single, sealed bottle of approximately 70 grams of powder supplied with a Certificate of Analysis and a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). SRM 2696 can be ordered directly from NIST through the secure, online SRM Order Request System: https://srmors.nist.gov/index.cfm. Copies of the Certificate and MSDS are also available (no purchase required) from the website or by telephone: 301/ 975-6776; fax: 301/926-4751; or e-mail: srminfo@nist.gov.