Rationale

Reduction of Area determination procedure is specified to include fitting the fractured ends together in ASTM A370 14.5; however, this step is not necessary with current technology which enables determination by automated, optical methods. This statement (and others similar, such as A4.5.1) should be revised to make the re-fitting of fractured specimen pieces optional. This would be similar to the approach taken by ISO 6892-1:2019 which states "if necessary, the broken pieces of the test piece shall be carefully fitted back together so that their axes lie in a straight line."