The Development of ASTM D 4772: The Water Flow Test Method

ASTM D 4772, “Standard Test Method for Surface Water Absorption of Terry Fabrics (Water Flow),” is a nondestructive test method for determining the effectiveness of terry fabrics and terry fabric products to remove water from various surfaces. Based on the water flow apparatus invented by employees of the former J. P. Stevens and Company, ASTM D 4772 was developed by the ASTM D 13.59 Task Group for the absorbency of woven fabrics. ASTM D 4772 was developed for use in ASTM D 5433 “Standard Performance Specification for Towel Products for Institutional and Household Use.” The single-material single-operator precision and the single-laboratory predictive validity of ASTM D 4772 were found to be good. However, the single-material interlaboratory precision of ASTM D 4772 was found to be poor.