Identifying Improved Standardized Tests for Measuring Cement Particle Size and Surface Area

Abstract

The Blaine fineness (Blaine) of a cement powder is a single parameter that is meant to characterize the specific surface area of a cement; Blaine is assumed to be linked to physical and mechanical properties of the hydrated cement such as strength, setting time, and rheology. However, a single parameter cannot characterize the particle-size distribution of a cement powder, on which the hydration kinetics and solid properties depend. As the cement industry continues to develop more sophisticated blended cements, it will be even more clearly seen that a single parameter fails to capture the true complexity of a cement. In addition to measuring the Blaine, cement producers use the laser diffraction measurement of the entire particle-size distribution for quality control of their cements. Despite the wide use of this measurement by the cement industry, laser diffraction is not a standardized test. This project's goal was to examine various tests, such as laser diffraction and Blaine, that measure the particle-size distribution and total surface area of cement powder and then to determine the most appropriate test on the basis of correlation with the macroproperties of the cement paste or mortar. The shape of the cement particles for a partial particle size range was determined with X-ray computed microtomography (X-ray CT); the relationship between X-ray CT, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area method, laser diffraction, and Blaine measurements was explored. The more fundamental and sophisticated experiments, nitrogen BET and X-ray CT, were used as ground truth to critically evaluate the laser particle-size distribution and Blaine fineness measurements. The standardization of the laser diffraction test method is proposed.

Effect of Grinding Media Size on Ferronickel Slag Ball Milling Efficiency and Energy Requirements Using Kinetics and Attainable Region Approaches

“…The specific surface area (SSA) of the feed and the grinding products was determined by the LD technique according to Equation (10). It is mentioned that LD uses light-scattering measurements to calculate the volume-based PSD, and assumes a specific geometry for the particles without taking into consideration the particle shape [53,54]. The BET nitrogen adsorp-tion method (using a Quantachrome Nova 2200 analyzer, Anton Paar QuantaTec Inc., Boynton Beach, FL, USA) was also used in this study for the determination of SSA [55].…”

Grinding Kinetics of Slag and Effect of Final Particle Size on the Compressive Strength of Alkali Activated Materials

“…S w is the specific surface area, ρ p is the particle density, D [3,2] is the surface area mean (Sauter mean diameter), and f, k are the surface and volume coefficients (for spheres f /k = 6). LD involves the detection of the angular distribution of scattered light produced by a laser beam which passes through a dispersed particulate sample [51]. The data of the angular scattering intensity is then analyzed and the particle sizes are calculated using the Mie theory of light scattering and expressed as the volume equivalent sphere diameter [52,53].…”

Grinding Kinetics of Slag and Effect of Final Particle Size on the Compressive Strength of Alkali Activated Materials

“…LD involves the detection of the angular distribution of scattered light produced by a laser beam which passes through a dispersed particulate sample [50]. The data of the angular scattering intensity is then analyzed and the particle sizes are calculated using the Mie theory of light scattering and expressed as volume equivalent sphere diameter [51,52].…”