Saturday, 21 December 2013

PRACTICAL 5: ANALYSIS OF PARTICLE'S SIZE AND SHAPE USING MICROSCOPE


Objectives:


1.      To analyse the different size and shape of particles under microscope.

  1. To describe the distribution particle size and shape.

 
Introduction:

There are several methods to analyse the size and shape of particles. Microscopic analysis is one of the methods that can give an accurate result. the diameter, shape, and surface area of the particle can be determine in this analysis. In this experiment, different sizes and shapes of particles are analysed which include the analysis of 355 µm, 500 µm, 850 µm, lactose and sand with various sizes. During the translation to a circle or spherical-equivalent diameter, some batches of samples may differ by such a small amount that this difference is lost. The shapes of the particles are drawn at the end of the experiment.

Sand is composed of loose, finely grained minerals that are the product of chemical and mechanical decomposition of rocks over long periods of time. These minerals include quartz (the most common mineral) with traces of mica, feldspar, and magnetite. Sand consists mostly of quartz because other common minerals weather away to sizes smaller than sand, and quartz does not Sand consists of particles consisting largely of quartz grains between 0.02 mm and 2.00 mm in diameter. Fine sand is defined as particles between 0.02 mm and 0.2 mm and course [sic] sand as those between 0.2 mm and 2.0 mm." Sand is very important in the making of glass, certain types of mouldings and sand blasting.

 

Methods


1. By using a microscope, 5 samples of different types of powders are analysed based on the size and shapes of given particles.

2. The samples are examined using the magnification of 4X10, followed by 10X10.

3. The shapes of particles are sketched and the overall shape of particles of each powder is described.

 


Observations:

 

355 µm sand

Characteristic: same size, small, irregular in shap
 
  4 X 10 magnification

 

10 X 10 magnification







500 µm sand

Characteristic: almost same size, a bit larger than 355 µm, irregular in shape




4 X 10 magnification
 
 

    
 10 X 10 magnification

 

 


 

850 µm sand

Characteristic: particles at upper position looks larger and looks smaller at lower position, largest size among all sands, irregular and no fixed shape

4 X 10 magnification

 

 
10 X 10 magnification

 

 


 

Various sizes sand

Characteristic: different sizes, overall smaller than 850 µm, irregular in shape with different edges and sides

4 X 10 magnification

 

10 X 10 magnification

 

 

 
 

Lactose

Characteristic: almost same size, very small size, round or irregular in shape

4 X 10 magnification

 


10 X 10 magnification

 

Questions:


1.      Describe various statistical methods that can be used to measure the diameter of a particle.

The statistical methods that can be used to measure the diameter of a particle include Martin's diameter (M), Feret's diameter (F), Projected area diameter (da or dp), longest dimension, perimeter diameter and maximum chord.

Martin's diameter (M) is the length of the line which bisects the particle image.  The lines may be drawn in any direction which must be maintained constant for all image measurements. Besides, Feret's diameter (F)is the distance between two tangents on opposite sides of the particle, parallel to some fixed direction. Next, projected area diameter (da or dp) is the diameter of a circle having the same area as the particle viewed normally to the plane surface on which the particle is at rest in a stable position. In addition, longest dimension is a measured diameter equal to the maximum value of Feret's diameter. On the other hand, perimeter diameter is the diameter of a circle having the same circumference as the perimeter of the particle.

Last but not least, maximum chord is a diameter equal to the maximum length of a line parallel to some fixed direction and limited by the contour of the particle.

 

2.      Name the best statistical method for every sample that has been used.

For every sample, the best statistical method is Feret’s and Martin’s diameter. This is because they give the average diameter over many different orientations to produce a mean value for each particle diameter. This will give a more accurate value of average diameter as the average value of diameter in more orientation is taken. Electron microscope is used to analyze the orientation and shape of the 3D image.

 

Discussions:

From this experiment, we know that microscopy method is a good technique to characterize particle size, shape and volume distribution. From the results, we found that the overall shape of the sand is asymmetrical. There are 3 main methods to determine the particles’ size which are Martin's diameter, Feret's diameter and projected area diameter. Martin's diameter (M) is the length of the line which bisects the particle image.  while Feret's diameter (F)is the distance between two tangents on opposite sides of the particle, parallel to some fixed direction.

Besides, projected area diameter (da or dp) is the diameter of a circle having the same area as the particle viewed normally to the plane surface on which the particle is at rest in a stable position .The ability to analyze and characterize particle size and shape can significantly improve the manufacturing efficiency and product performance.

All these methods only consider the 2 dimensions despite the three dimensions of the particle, thus it is inaccurate for unsymmetrical particle. During the experiment, different types of sand are put on slide to be observed using a light microscope. To avoid agglomeration, the sand should be spread evenly and present as a thin layer so that the observation will not be affected.

From the results, all the sand has small size and irregular shape.  Some lactose particles have round shape and some are irregular in shapes. However, they are smaller than sand particles in size.

Conclusion:

Sands of different types have different size and shape which can be analyzed through a light microscope. The overall distribution of shape and size of this particle which are asymmetrical and irregular can also be determined. 
 
MICROSCOPE IMAGES




 
 
 

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