ESD Floor Testing

RMV utilizes advanced ESD event detection measurement techniques to rate a facility for compliance to ANSI/ESD S20.20-2007 procedures. Measurements, however, must extend beyond electrostatic fields and ESD events to determine the source of the questionable practices or areas in need of improvement.

Figure 1

Validation, Verification & Certification for Static Control Flooring

RMV provides testing, validation and certification for electrostatic flooring that may include the following test methods as required by the End User, General Contractor, Architect or  Civil Engineer as follows:

• SECTION 09660 (Static Control Flooring) Compliance
• AATCC-134-2006 (Electrostatic Propensity of Carpets)
• VA Static Control Carpet 09680
• FAA Static Dissipative Vinyl Tile FAPC 09660 and 09 65 36
• Static Control Resilient Floor Tile 09661
• ANSI/ESD STM97.1-2006 Floor Materials and Footwear-Resistance Measurement in Combination with a Person
• ANSI/ESD STM97.2-2006 Floor Materials and Footwear- Voltage Measurement in Combination with a Person
• NFPA 99: Health Care Facilities, 2005 Edition
• NFPA 77-2007: Recommended Practice on Static Electricity
• ANSI/ESD S7.1-2005 Resistive Characterization of Materials-Floor Materials
• IEC 61340-4-1, Electrostatics – Part 4-1: Standard test methods for specific applications –
• Electrical resistance of floor coverings and installed floors, Edition 2.0, 2003 -2012
• ASTM F150-2006 STM for Electrical Resistance of Conductive and Static Dissipative Resilient Flooring
• USACE / NAVFAC / AFCESA / NASA, UFGS-09 65 33 (May 2009) CONDUCTIVE VINYL FLOORING
• Mil-STD-3010A-2005 , revision of Fed-STD-101C/4046.1

RMV provides specialty floor (conductive or dissipative) consultation, qualification, testing, validation and certification for the following areas:

• Government Facilities, Ships & Submarines
• E-9-1-1 emergency dispatch call centers
• Control rooms
• Mission critical server rooms
• Military Assault Vehicles
• FAA Towers
• ESD Protective Areas
• IT Areas/Computer or Telecommunication Centers
• Cleanrooms (ISO Class 3 & Above)
• Sterile Environments
• Aircraft
• Space Agency Environments
• Launch Pads
• Health Care/Hospital
• Medical Device Manufacturing Areas
• Pharmaceutical Delivery Areas
• Dialysis
• Emergency Room Areas
• Exam/Procedure Rooms
• Laboratories
• Lavatories
• Operating Rooms
• Patient Rooms
• Corridors
• Laboratories
• Retail/Commercial
• Department Stores
• Grocery Stores
• Terminals
• Transaction Centers
• Biometrics
• Smart Card Utilization
• Call Center Static Electricity Issues

Our customers include aerospace & defense contractors, medical device, pharmaceutical, semiconductor,  banking centers, telecommunications, disk drive and US Government Agencies.

Definitions of terms: 

The following definitions shall apply for the purposes of this standard:

Groundable point, floor material: A point on the floor material that is intended to accommodate an electrical connection from the floor material to an appropriate electrical ground.

Resistance to Ground: The resistance in ohms measured between a single electrode placed on a surface and ground.

Point-to-Point [RTT] Resistance: The resistance in ohms measured between two electrodes placed on any surface.

Resistance to Groundable Point (RTG): The resistance in ohms measured between a single electrode placed on a surface and a groundable point.

09661 Reference 1, item 3 RMV has the lab fixturing for the task. Sections of the flooring tile are tested in accordance with Mil STD 3010A-2005 that has replaced Fed-STD-101C/4046.1.

 
Figure 2 – Resistance in Combination with a Person

ANSI/ESD STM97.1-2006 Floor Materials and Footwear provides test methods for measuring the electrical system resistance of floor materials in combination with person wearing static control footwear

Figure 3

ANSI/ESD STM97.2-2006
is the standard test method for measuring the electrostatic voltage on a person in combination with floor materials and footwear as a system (Figure 3). ESD STM 97.2 can be used to characterize ESD protective floor materials to include: floor coverings (tiles, carpets, epoxies, and laminated structures), mats, paints/coatings or floor finishes. Requirement: <+/-100 volts.

Reference Documentation:

USACE / NAVFAC / AFCESA / NASA UFGS-09 65 33 (May 2009)
SECTION 09 65 33 CONDUCTIVE VINYL FLOORING
The resistance of the floor at any one location shall be more than 5,000 ohms in areas with 110-volts service and 10,000 ohms in areas with 220-volt service, and an average of less than 1,000,000 ohms in all areas

NFPA 77-2007  [Scaled Down]
7.6.2 Conductive Flooring and Footwear.
7.6.2.1 Typical resistance to ground for flooring systems should be less than 10⁸ ohms.
7.6.2.2* Electrostatic dissipative (ESD) footwear used in conjunction with conductive flooring provides a means to control and dissipate static electric charges from the human body. Resistance to earth through ESD footwear and conductive flooring should be between 10⁶ ohms and 10⁹ ohms. For materials with very low ignition energies, the resistance to earth through footwear and flooring should be less than 106 ohms. Resistance can be measured with commercially available footwear conductivity testers.
7.6.2.4 Conductive footwear is footwear designed to have a resistance to ground through the footwear and the floor of less than 106 ohms. It is typically used where materials of low ignition energy, such as explosives and propellants, are handled. Conductive footwear should not be used where a possibility for electrocution by line voltages exists.
H.2.13 Conductive Floor. Flooring that has an average resistance between 2.5 × 10³ ohms and 1 × 10⁶ ohms where measured using specified electrodes placed a specified distance part. (See NFPA 99, Standard for Health Care Facilities.)

NAV OP5 [Scaled down]
5-5.3.1.1. Specifications.
d. The average resistance of the conductive floor shall be 1,000,000 ohms or less as measured by the methods described in c, below. The minimum average resistance of the floor shall be 5,000 ohms in areas with 110 volt service, 10,000 ohms for 220 volt service etc., as measured by the same technique.
5-5.3.2.3. Test Methods. Tests of conductive shoes on individuals for use in required locations shall be made initially and regularly thereafter to ensure that the resistance from person to ground through conductive flooring is less than 1,000,000 ohms.

FAA/USACE Requirement for Electrostatic Decay 09661
1. Electrical Resistance: ASTM F-150; Point to point 10 to the 6th – 10 to the 9th ohms.
2. Static Generation: AATC-134. Less than 100 volts with conductive footwear at 20 percent R.H.
3. Static Decay: Federal Test Method 4046 (101C) 5000 volts to zero in less than 0.2 seconds

ASTM Designation F150-2006
3.1.1 Conductive flooring 2.4 x 10⁴ ohms and <1.0 x 10⁶ ohms. No individual Measurement value of <10,000 ohms.
3.1.2 Static Dissipative Flooring with average Resistance greater than 1.0 x 10⁶ ohms and < 1.0 x 10⁹ ohms.

ANSI/ESD S7.1-2005, ANSI/ESD STM97.1 & 97.2-2006 [Scaled down and paraphrased)
6.1.1.1Humidity conditioning - After cleaning specimens, allow to dry. Place in an environmental chamber preset to 12% (±3%) relative humidity and 23°C (± 3°C) (73°F ± 2°F) for 72 hours minimum. Reset the chamber to 50% (±5%) relative humidity and 23°C (±3°C) for 72 hours minimum. Note: Supersedes ASTM D150’s requirement of 24 hours preconditioning.