Analysis of the ASTM round-robin test on particle size distribution of Portland cement:

Abstract

Particle size distribution (PSD) is an essential property of cement. The only standard method to measure the PSD of cement, namely ASTM C115 [1] is limited in scope; this standard describes a method for determining "fineness" with a lower size detection limit of 7.5 µm. As there is no standard procedure covering the whole range of cement PSD, the implementation of different measurement methods varies widely within the industry. In general, the round-robin results summarized here have demonstrated the high variability between participants using instruments based on the same physical principles. ASTM committee C01.25.01 sponsored a round-robin test to measure the PSD of cement. The aim of the current report is to analyze the data generated during those tests and to summarize the various approaches available to measure the PSD of cement. The analysis of the data is conducted in two parts. In the first part, an attempt is made to establish a reference distribution using a standard cement powder (SRM 114p). This is followed up by a comparison of the roundrobin data in order to initiate discussion on developing a standard test method for cement PSD to be submitted for ASTM consideration. The report provides all raw data collected during the round robin tests, and the results of a statistical analysis of the collected data.

Method development and validation for measuring the particle size distribution of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) powders.

“…The advantage of this technique was that the surface of particles could be examined in detail, including elemental analysis of very small areas of each particle. However, this technique had the same flaws as optical microscopy, (i.e., poor dispersion and two dimensionality impacted the analysis), and in addition enhanced the problem of having too narrow a field of view to get a single photomicrograph that was representative of the entire sample [43]. The characterization of fine particles using light scattering principles is based on optical theory developed through a series of discoveries in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.…”

Physical characterization methods for supplementary cementitious materials

“…Laser diffraction (LD) is rapidly becoming the most popular method for particle size determination [17]. Technology and instrument characteristics have rapidly developed in the last decades, and now LD is considered to be one of the quicker, easier and more reproducible methods of characterizing particle size, because it provides a complete picture of the full size distribution [34].…”

“…Factors such as particle size, geometry of the dispersing device, the residence time in the applied force and air pressure are some of the factors that can affect the degree of dispersion achieved. In the case of using wet methods for dispersing powdered particles, the surface chemistry of the powders, the solids concentration, and the amount of mechanical energy applied to break the agglomerates are the main factors that can induce variation in the dispersibility [17].…”

Mean Particle Diameters. From Statistical Definition to Physical Understanding

“…Repeatability can be high, although reproducibility is often poor due to the many variables that provide sources for user error [15]. There are A.3.5 Zone sensing (electrical & optical) [15, p. 327] [21,22] [ 65 -68] The electrical sensing zone (ESZ) technique (the Coulter principle) was developed in the mid 1950's for counting and sizing blood cells which are virtually a monomodal suspension in a dilute electrolyte. The technique was developed further for counting and sizing other particles.…”

“…Eqs. (22)(23)(24) contain the particle diameter D, so that they can be used to derive the relevant types of mean particle diameter q p D , . Using Eq.…”