Measurement of particle size distribution and specific surface area for crushed concrete aggregate fines

Abstract Different methods for measuring particle size distribution (PSD) and specific surface area of crushed aggregate fines (⩽250 μm), produced by high-speed vertical shaft impact (VSI) crushing of rock types from different quarries in Norway, have been investigated. Among all the methods studied, X-ray sedimentation is preferred because it has adequate resolution and requires fewer and more reliable input parameters. This combination makes it suitable for practical applications at hard rock quarries. X-ray microcomputed tomography (μCT) combined with spherical harmonic analysis was applied to estimate the actual error introduced when PSD measurements were used to calculate the specific surface area of the VSI crushed rock fines. The μCT results, to the limit of their resolution, show that the error in the calculated surface area caused by assuming spherical particles (a common assumption in PSD measurements) is of unexpectedly similar magnitude (−20% to −30%) over the entire investigated particle size range, which was approximately 3–200 μm. This finding is important, because it simplifies relative surface area determination and is thought to be quite general, since the crushed aggregate fines investigated were produced from 10 rock types that had a wide range of mineralogies.

[1]  Edward T. Harrigan,et al.  NAtioNAl CooperAtive HigHwAy reseArCH progrAm , 2013 .

[2]  Alan R. Butcher,et al.  Rapid quantitative mineral and phase analysis using automated scanning electron microscopy (QemSCAN); potential applications in forensic geoscience , 2004, Geological Society, London, Special Publications.

[3]  W. Kunkel.  Magnitude and Character of Errors Produced by Shape Factors in Stokes' Law Estimates of Particle Radius , 1948 .

[4]  B. Pedersen.  Alkali-reactive and inert Fillers in Concrete. Rheology of fresh Mixtures and expansive Reactions , 2004 .

[5]  John B. Anderson,et al.  An Assessment of Analytical Techniques For The Size Analysis of Fine-Grained Sediments , 1988 .

[6]  Terence Allen,et al.  Powder Sampling and Particle Size Determination , 2003 .

[7]  Optical Sizing and Roundness Determination of Glass Beads Used in Traffic Markings , 2010 .

[8]  Chiara F. Ferraris,et al.  Certification of SRM 114q :: part II (particle size distribution) , 2006 .

[9]  B. Sørensen,et al.  Evaluation of quantitative X-ray diffraction for possible use in the quality control of granitic pegmatite in mineral production , 2012 .

[10]  J. Frederick,et al.  An Empirical Method for the Determination of the Complex Refractive Index of Size-Fractionated Atmospheric Aerosols for Radiative Transfer Calculations , 2001 .

[11]  Edward J. Garboczi,et al.  Filler from crushed aggregate for concrete: Pore structure, specific surface, particle shape and size distribution , 2014 .

[12]  Børge Johannes Wigum,et al.  Production and Utilisation of Manufactured Sand. State-of-the-art-report. COIN P 2 Improved construction technology. SP 2.5 Production of manufactured sand , 2009 .

[13]  Glen F. Coates,et al.  A comparison of four methods of size analysis of fine-grained sediments , 1985 .

[14]  Henk G. Merkus,et al.  Particle Size Measurements: Fundamentals, Practice, Quality , 2009 .

[15]  J. Bullard,et al.  Contact function, uniform-thickness shell volume, and convexity measure for 3D star-shaped random particles , 2013 .

[16]  Vadas Gintautas,et al.  Particle Size Analysis by Laser Diffraction Spectrometry: Application to Cementitious Powders. , 2004 .

[17]  John G. Hagedorn,et al.  Three-dimensional shape analysis of coarse aggregates : New techniques for and preliminary results on several different coarse aggregates and reference rocks , 2006 .

[18]  J. Bullard,et al.  Defining shape measures for 3D star-shaped particles: Sphericity, roundness, and dimensions , 2013 .

[19]  R. Oehmig.  Principles, methods, and application of particle size analysis , 1992 .

[20]  Hanna Järvenpää,et al.  Quality characteristics of fine aggregates and controlling their effects on concrete , 2001 .

[21]  A. Laskin,et al.  Automated single-particle SEM/EDX analysis of submicrometer particles down to 0.1 microm. , 2001, Analytical chemistry.

[23]  R. E. Douglass,et al.  Absorption-coefficient-determination method for particulate materials. , 1994, Applied optics.

[24]  E. Garboczi.  Three-dimensional mathematical analysis of particle shape using X-ray tomography and spherical harmonics: Application to aggregates used in concrete , 2002 .

[25]  Oskar Esping,et al.  Effect of limestone filler BET(H2O)-area on the fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting concrete , 2008 .

[26]  R. Jenkins,et al.  A practical guide for the preparation of specimens for x-ray fluorescence and x-ray diffraction analysis , 1998 .

[27]  E. Palik.  Handbook of Optical Constants of Solids , 1997 .

[28]  D. C. Guell,et al.  Flow-Induced Alignment in Composite Materials , 1997 .

[29]  P. Pendleton,et al.  Gas Adsorption Data Uncertainty and Propagation Analyses , 2005 .

[30]  Göran Fagerlund,et al.  Determination of specific surface by the BET method , 1973 .

[31]  F. R. Schiebe,et al.  Measurement of Fine Silt and Clay Size Distributions , 1983 .

[32]  G. Pólya,et al.  Isoperimetric inequalities in mathematical physics , 1951 .

[33]  P. Gottlieb,et al.  Using quantitative electron microscopy for process mineralogy applications , 2000 .

[34]  David W. Fowler,et al.  Some properties of irregular 3-D particles , 2006 .

[35]  E. Forssberg,et al.  Influence of fine aggregate characteristics on the rheological properties of mortars , 2008 .

[36]  David W. Fowler,et al.  Shape and size of microfine aggregates: X-ray microcomputed tomography vs. laser diffraction , 2007 .

[37]  Kenneth Pye,et al.  Particle size analysis by laser diffraction , 2004, Geological Society, London, Special Publications.

[38]  R. Stein.  Rapid grain-size analyses of clay and silt fraction by SediGraph 5000D; comparison with Coulter counter and Atterberg methods , 1985 .