ASTM F3416-21

1.1”Infrared (IR) spectrophotometry involving IR microscopes, coupled with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers, is a valuable method of identifying polymeric fibers (that is, polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.) and rubber used in synthetic equine surfaces. FTIR may also be used to identify organic compounds and other non-metallic elements present in the binder (that is, high-oil wax) extracted from an equine surface. FTIR of wax-based binders can also detect and quantify relative degrees of binder oxidation. FTIR works by detecting and interpreting the oscillations of the atoms bonded together in the molecular structure. Infrared light absorption spectra are generated from samples tested, and these spectra are compared to libraries of known polymer spectra. For bulk fiber samples, different fibers are visually separated into groups and individual fibers from each group are tested. For extracted wax, several tests are conducted to ensure consistency. FTIR absorption spectrums for two common fibers are shown in Fig. 1. FTIR spectrum for a wax binder exhibiting oxidation peaks is shown in Fig. 2.