CHARACTERIZATION OF PARTICULATE AND COMPOSITE MINERAL GRAINS BY ON-LINE COMPUTER PROCESSING OF SEM IMAGES By G. GRANT, J. S. HALL’, A. F, REIDY and M. ZUIDERWYK* ABSTRACT x ‘A prototype version of @ computer contral~ ed on-line scanning electron microscope image analyser, employing the real-tine signals ob- tained by digital ‘control of the electron beam hhas been used to obtain statistical quantificar yn of & wide range of mineral grain character- faties, including composition, size distribut- fon, and degree of Liberation. These propert= des have been determined for suites of vhole particles of flotation concentrates, mounted without further preparation, The facility ts also vell adapted to the measurement of general ereological parameters. ‘The computer control softvare is based on operating system vhich includes the device drivers and which {s linked to FORTRAN programe containing the procedural algorithms. The digital beam scanner provides « 4000 x 4000 point raster avept at a 10 Mhz rate in steps of 1 to 200 points and a set of up to 8 eignal channela vhich respond to electron oF enersy dispersive X-ray signals to provide a digital: pattern characterizing the sample composition. ‘The beam 1s stepped at high speed until a part- Acle or phase boundary is encountered; « longer vel tine 18 set if X-ray dace 1s require The digital scanner interrupts the computer "ntviston of H: Chesistry, 7.0. Box 126, Port Melbourne, Australia, 3207 2yu1sus Kruttachnite Mineral Research Centre, Vatversity of Queensland, Australia, 4067. only to transfer the coordinates and composition of a new phase or boundary and the resulting Linear array of composition run-lengths stores the teage in « highly compressed form, Algorithas to deteruine perinater, area, Dounding rectangle touch points, centroids, and subwareas of different phases within each particle have been thoroughly tested on collect- ed data, and a range of particle population ‘statiotics has been developed fron these parameters, The validity of stereological observations on random non~planar surfaces of vhole particles 1s demonstrated by the results. Eernopverzom Computer control of mtcroprobes or scann~ Ang electron atcroscopes (SE for modal analy sta, intercept length analysis and combined srticle size-nodal analysis has received considerable attention in recent years (white SE aL, 1968; Dorfler and Russ, 1970; Jones and Shav, 19746; Troutman et al., 1976; Dinger and White, 1976; Ekelund and Werlefors, 1976; Hougardy, 1976; NBS, 1976), as have particle characterization systems based oa grey level analysis of optical images. The special advantages of SEM inages, namely, high speed atomic number dtscrintnation by back-scatter electrons and elemental, analysis from X-rays make the SEM of particular value in the characterization of mineral particulates or sections. 18th APCOM Symposium, Brisbane, Australie, 1977 5 received 28.12.76‘ 159160 G. GRANT, J. S. HALL, A. The present systen was developed for the determination of particle properties from which tthe degree and nature of compositeness and 1ib- eration of multiphase materials could be srived. Particular attention has been given to the examination of whole particles without sectioning, and to maximizing the rate at which data can be obtained and intercepted. A prelininary description of the SEM pects of the system haq already bean pre~ red (Crane ec a1, 1976) ne HARDWARE INTERF, ‘SEX beam and sample stage positioning are controlled by ea 70 computer via dedicated printed ctreutt “device cards” of modular design, Inputs re butt= ‘ered from the main bus of the computer into oF out of 32 bit latches and individual cards are addresved via the device structions of the operating systen. eranafar takes place tm parallel # bie bytes at the rates of operation of the digital logte circuica, with deliberate tine delays of a fev nicro-seconds for settling and correct sequencing. Full use ts made of the Interdata control Line structure, which allove addressing, status sensing and status command instructions independent of the data vord cransfers. HARDWARE DEVICES. The SEM bean position 1s controlled by 12 bit D/A converters, driven by 2 10 MIZ oscillator co give a 4000 x 4000 raster with a ininum frame tine of 1.6 secs, This ras~ ter can be spaced out to 20 x 20 points and the dvell cime at each poine cat 1077 seca. up to 1 second. can be reduced if required, and the beam ‘stopped or restarted at any point. The specimen position is controlled by means of digital pulse motors driving che X and ¥ 1 Position 1s tracked by the Inte ourputs, REID, AND M. ZUEDERWYK, number of pulses driven up or dova in relation to an inital zero, The X and Y co-ordinates of the beam and of the stage positions are continuously displayed. STONAL CHAE ‘Two main signal sources are utilized, viz. backscattered electrons (BSE) and X-rays. The BSE signal has « logerithaic dependence on the atomic number of the specinen area under the Beam and provides « composition discriminator at typically 10-4 seconds dwell tine per point. Te is particularly useful for finding particles, Due the semiconductor detectors used in the Present measurements vere often insufficiently aensitive to phase changes, and are being Yeplaced vith a more effictent plastic sciati1l- ‘ator (Hobinson, 1974). Discriainators for the BSE signal are set to fora a monojontc ladder of 16 grey Levels and a continvous output of the resulting 4 bir digital pattern ts provided. Xeray signals are obtained from an enersy depersive spectroneter. Output pulses pro- portional to X-ray energy are fed to « bank of ‘single channel pulse height analysers set with narrow windows for appropriite X-ray energies. Digital. counters determine vhether the count occurring at any particular sample point ‘exceeds a preset value. Overflow signals can be taken individually or in cosbination, #0 ‘as to provide upper and lover level discriain- acti PERIPHERALS, ‘Additional to the SEM devices, the com puter aystem {a fitted with « 9 track magnetic high speed paper cape reader and punch which processed inages can be run Lengths of alphanumeric characters corresponding to given speciaen compositions. IMAGE FORMATION Once the operator has set appropriate BSE or X-ray discriminator levels, the beam speed, 16th APCOM Symposium, Brisbane, Ausulia, 1977raster incerval, and X and Y starting and ‘ending coordinates are loaded from che comput- ex to the digital beam scanner, vhich then runs Adependently until a change in any one of the signal conditions occurs. An interrupt signal to the computer ia chen given and the X coordinate and the bit pattern for the sig~ nal channel 18 read into memory. An end-of- Line signal identifies the ¥ coordinate. Thus a Line seguent image of the specimen ts built up a8 a one-dimensional array of X-coordinates and signal patterna, For say 10 changes of condition per Line and « raster of 20 Lines, an image of a particle 1s stored in 200 such entries. The arrays can either be analysed ac the end of each frame, or stored netic tape for subsequent treatment. SAMPLING OF SPECIMEN AREAS ‘The specimen area covered per scan is deternined by the magnification, vhich 1s justed.co suit the grain size, and is recorded in terms of the stare displacenent sary to bring an inage feature from one frame edge to the other. The raster density ie adjusted co ensure that suall sub-areas are not omitted, but also to minimize scanning time, In the prevent study, each parcicle vas typically crossed by 20 raster Lines. The define adjacent sides than the area physically scanned by the beam, so that particles cutting these edges of the defined area can be included. This procedure avoids sampling bias due to particle size (Grant et al. SEM SOFTUARE CONTROL The software control and dat fen in based on & reci Interdata Disk Operating System, vritten in jeably language and using the standard instruction set. This approsch removes the need to write spectal routines for data and jent attus vord” architecture of the ample area is snaller on two transfer © version of the handling and ensures that the addrei Interdata computer ts used to full advantage. ALL data transfers and comands are made in hexadecimal form, as tests vith decimal Antegrated circuit devices shoved chat up to 40% of program run tines vere taken up in conversion routines. The control program passes dace into specified arrays which can be celled by the algorithate routines, written in FORTRAN IY for qise of programing. FORTRAN vas deliberately not used in the data acquisition Programs, as it was found that calls betveen AUcONITIONTC PROCEDURES, In order to preserve the compactnes the {nage array, an algoritha vas developed Which operates without reference t@ the expended image, Tor this purpose « third set of words or bytes is interleaved in the array, 40 that 3 vords dafine each change of inaxe condition. viz X(I). T(2) and F(z). vhere I te the Ith point defined by the array and X, T and F are the x coordinate, compos teton and "flag" respectively. The algoriche finde the boundary points round each defined Jct by determining run lengths on & given raster Line vhich do oF do not overlap with Lines, with due allovance for multiple overlaps, concavities and convex- ities, In the fora developed, any boundary, no matter how convoluted, can be connected. Holes or changes of composition do not affect the algorithm, and discrete multiple objects An the saage are readily treated. Once boundary points for « given particle have been flagged, coral areas and combinat~ are obtained by suming the those on suece: fons of’ sub-ar ‘run lengths of comon composition between such flags. The boundary array can be used to develop shape, curvature, and topological relationships, or as a basis for a simply defined dteplay of particle boundaries on an 16th APCOM Symposium, Brisbane, Australia, 1977162 G. GRANT, J. S. HALL, AL ordinary CRT screen. Tt also allove defintt~ fom of the boundary polar coordinates (x, @) 4a davartaat fora. Whole particle {atercept lengths are used to find the centre of gravity of the particle and the touch points on ite bounding rectangle. ‘The maximm chord batveen opposite touch poinca (Matheron diameter), together with area ‘as a fraction of rectangle area, the equivaleat Gtanater of a circle of sane projected area, and values of (perisater)"/area are also determined. Yor & composite particle crossing 20 ras fer Lines the algoritha run tine vas typically Leas than 0.1 seconde. STEREOLOGY OP WHOLE PARTICLE PROJECTED THAGES, Tn stereological theory, it 1 vell known char the fractional areas of constituent phases appearing in a random planar section (Delest 1848) are statistically proportional to the volume fractions of the different phases, It has recenely been pointed out (Ri-Soudant, 1975) that auch relationships alee hold for randow-curvature surfaces, and for their normal, surface projections, providing as 1s also the case for planar sections, that the distribution of the constituent phases te unifore t. atetiatically random. While the relationships are developed by Hi-Soudant a terms of geometric surfaces of various kinds, by extension of his concepts Ae te also possible to regard the external, surfaces presented by vhole particles as ran dom curvature samplings chrough a crushed or ground parent material. Thus normally projected areas of the different phases present im each particle, sumed over all particles in 2 sample, will be an unbiased estimator of chete volume fractions. Even 1f the sample oriented randomly with respect to shape, the sumed projected ares fractions will sti11 represent volume fractions provided breakage F, REID, AND M. 2UIDERNTE was randow, This fe a most important consider ation in the practical probles of particle nount- ing, and considerably relaxes the requirements of sample preparation and of interpretation of tthe image data. Conversely, if breakage 18 not, randgm, correct volume fractions will still be obtained if the particles are indeed sounted with random orientation, The observation of whole particle samples in the SEM ts a direct and poverful method of obtaining stereological information vithout the need for inferences based on shape factors Gones and Shav, 19745 Dinger and Waite, 1976) and vithout recourse to indirect deteraination of ‘size distributions or, indeed, shape functions. PREPARATION OP EXPERIVEWTAL SAMPLES, The particular flotation concentrates used im the messurenents vere obtained frou the flot~ ‘ation plant at Rovgatuville, in vaich the feed consists of crushed and ground ore containing a8 major constituents quarts ($10,), chalcopyrite (CaPeS,), borntte (0a,%e8,), covellite (Cus) and pyrite (P82), Samples of some 1000 grams were collected from aach of the 18 flotation cells im che cir cult, and, after combination of samples frou cella 7-9, 10-12 and 13-18, vere separated into ize fractions + 212 ~300 um; + 150 ~212 ums + 106 -150 uay + 75 ~ 106 wm and + 53 -106 ua, representing about 50 ve £ of the sample, with about 50 ve X occurring ae -53 um particles, These last vere not examined. fon vas partitioned, and a chentcal analysis for cu content carried out on one of the portions. Yor SEX examination, one portion vas further aplic and then spread evenly on a f{lter paper A polished carton block, onto which a film of epoxy resin had been freshly couted, vas pressed onto the particles, vhich thus adhered to te face, A brief cure at 150°C wan used to harden the epoxy, The samples vere then vacuum coated wich 300-600R ehickness of evaporated carbon. Approxinately 150 particles vere examined per Each size frace- 15th APCOM Symposium, Bisbane, Austei, 1977G. GRANT, J. S. HALL, A. F. REID, AND M. ZUIDERMYK tas sample ‘S1ZE, SHAPE AND STEVE DISTRIBUTIONS, To a firet approxination, roughly regular particles vill have 3 mutually perpendicular axes of different lengths, of which the to longest vill usually le in che horizontal plane hen a particle 8 dropped onto a flat surface A selection of typical particles is shova im, Figure 1. While it is feasibly to bse r,0 diatributions of boundary pointe co determine projected dimensions, we have used the Hatheron dianater as 4 nore rapid eatinater of major dt anetone, and have derived the corresponding eioer disseters from projected arses asountag particles to be ellipsoidal. For seam eurtcal ellipses vith axtal ration up t2 1. the Matheron dtaneter departs only SE from the actual onjor diameter even for a 45° inclination and thos gives « reasonably accurate and excrmnely convenient measure of major dimension. Distributions of projected areas, equi valent circle and Matheron dianecers re shova tn Yigures 2 to 4 for a steve aise fraction of 4130 -212 um. Those of equivalent etrele dsaneters vere approximately norasl, and those of projected aren correspondingly skeved. SSE Hig. 1 - Flotation rougher concentrate Particles, +75 -106 um, shoving typical ‘shapes and composite structures. tect at, wt Vig. 2 ~ Projected area distribution for particles from the +150 -212 um steve site fraction from cell 6. Fig, 3 - Distribution of dianaters of equivalent ctreles, or 2 Jab for equivalent ellipses, for the +150 -212 ym fraction, cell 6. oh Fig. 4 = Major dimension dtstributts 4150 ~212 um fraction, call 6, bi ‘maximum chord betveen opposite touch points on the rectangle bounding each particl yd on the 18th APCOM Symposium, Brisbane, Austalia, 1877164 G. GRANT, J. S. HALL, A. F. REID, AND M. ZUIDERWYK Size * dtecrtbution seams for steve size fractions from a comon parent sample” able 1. [size Projected] Equivalent] Major [Minor nie fran are cirele tterell (ellipse) 6 ninor diameter | diameter | diameter Gideeeee l+212 -300| 60670 27 336, as 1.63 euso -212! 34920 209 265 166 1.62 j*106 -150) 27230. us 106 prey 1.65 |+75 -106 | 10860" | a5 134 6 1.79 fes3-75 | 3800 8 90 3 1.70 19.2 0.681 “Sizes in micrometres or (atcronetres)” In Table 1 are shovn the nean values of the size parameter distributions for each of the sieve size ranges derived from a partic~ ular parent sample. Similar values, at each of the size ranges, vere found for all of the other samples. Te te tomediately evident that the sean values of major and minor axes correspond to a considerable mean elongation of v1.65, and that the major axes have a distribution mean com ‘siderably greater than the upper steve size yFeure, while the minor axis mean is only slightly greater chan che lover steve size. Te nay be inferred that ally passed end-on of sometines diagonally through the upper sized steve, but could Just ot pass end-on through the lover size. These briefly sumarised cbservations are in clot agreenent vith the concepts and experimental by Nakajina (1976) to explain the screening of triaxial objects, from vhich it vas found that only the tvo le important in determining vhether such an ob- Ject vill pass a given aperture. For all of the samples the means of the (perimater)?/aren distributions shoved values similar to those in Table 1, with « anall trend to higher values at increasing silica content. Fever than 2% of P2/A values exceeded 31.0, ‘4 criterion which enables touching particles to be recognised with high probability. The ratios of particle area, Dounding rectangle area, A,, vere centred near sre icles have gener taken from cell 5. (0.70 for all samples, reflecting in part the random ortentation of the particles, and in part their shapes. Yor a randomly oriented population of ellipses vith a/b =-1.65 the sean value of A,/A, 48 9.71, and for exemple, ce sanoles in the +150 -212 size range, taken from Hlotation celle 1 through 18, gave a coubined mean value of (AA gga © 9-69 & .02- ‘Thus the shape behaviour of « given size fraction of concentrate particles can in the present case be relatively vell approxinated by ‘dietrtbutions appropriate to ellip fo ration of 1.65 and having an avproxinately poraal distribution of effective circular dis wean equal co the upp. and in which the full width at half maxioum height, FYIM, ts 00.33 of the centre value. with ae MODAL ANALYSTS, From the projected area fractions logically equivalent to volume fractions, the ‘modal composition of each sample is imediately available, Figure 5 shove the percentages of stereo quartz, sulphides of copper (chalcopyrite, dornite and covellite), and pyrite in the +150 212 ym size fraction as a function of cell posteion in the flotation line. ‘The modal analyse flotation ctreutt behaviour, and provide quantie: acive measurement of the phases present in each smple and size fraction. consistent with the 16th APCOM Symposium, Brisbane, Ausvalia, 1977G. GRANT, J. S. HALL, A. F. REID, AND M. ZUIDERWYK ass vowue % es 8s ses 388 8 oe cen mune Fig. 5 ~ Modal analys: particle are fractions. based on projected and sub-areas for +150 -212 um Ay quartz; By chaleopyrice + boratte + covellite: Cy pyrite. (CHEMICAL coMPosTTTON Given the volune fractions of the phase: ne in a sample comprised of a number of particles, the elenental percentage veights are Meter@, PEE x 100 a Verte where (2) = elenent Z ig " Volune fraction of phase K tn reitele § 4 = density of phase k F(Z), = ve. fraction of Z in phase k For the size fractions studied, routs: analyses of copper content are compared in Fig~ ure 6 vith the values derived from the SEM images. Although there is considerable var~ tance, and sone bias for individual sets, the overall results are essentially random in rel- ation to the theoretical 45° line, This set, of x jervations strongly confirms the Logical validity of using projected aren fract= fons of individual vhole particles for the estimation of volumes fractions of individual WT cu, Orme, Asser Fig. 6 = Copper contents of sized flotation concentrate particles as determined by SEM fooge areas and by chemical analysis. phases, and fn future ork ve intend to rafine ‘the measurements supporting this concer In the present examples « major source of error vas che lack of fully consistent éiscrim- Anation betveen chalcopyrite CuFeS, and bornite, CusFes, and between bornite and covellite, Cus, and {n addition, the chentcal analyses vere subject to random errors of the order of + 22. We believe chat, for the multiphase systens studied, these firse results shov the pover both of the method and of the avates, and thar more accurate measurenents will certainly be attainable, As an example of the use of the nage ved elenental compositions, Figure 7 shove the cooper content of sized overflov sanpl plotted against cell position in the flotarion bank, and compared vith the copper contents derived by chemical analysis. It is clearly seen that although there are some variations those derived betveen the tvo sets of value from SEM imag the flotation ayatem in terms of copper recover= nive # consistent description of 15th APCOM Symposium, Brisbane, Australia, 977166 G. GRANT, J. S. HALL, A. F. REID, AND M, ZUIDERWYK Tig. 7 = Copper content of sized flotation con= centrate particles ve cell position. Squares 4150 -212 um; circles +106 -150 um. Curve A, blocked symbols, chemical assay; Curve 3, open symbols, SEM tnagen; Curve C, copper‘on quarts couposites, +150 -212 uj Curve D copper on quarts composites, +106 -150 um. Jes. These results desonstrate that the com puter controlled SEM measurements correspond to © physically real interpretation of the sample characteristics. INTERGROVTH DISTRIBUTIONS OF COMPOSTTE PARTICLES, ‘The quancitative estimation of the degree of Itberation of mineral phases from one another is of fundamental importance in the modelling or description of processes such as comunition oF flotation, and it is to this purpose that « major part of the present vork has been direct= ed, A number of models and forme of such distributions have been considered and reviewed, as for example by Wiegel end Li (1967), Steiner (1973), Andrews and Mike (1975) and King (1973). A particularly simple fora of intergroveh Aistribution is « histogram of frequency vs Antergrovth class interval, Pig Such distributions follow imaediately from the clase ification of the projected area fractions of amr me marae Intergrovth distributions of sulphide and quarts in +150 -212 um fractions froa jlected celle in the flotation line. individual particles. Although size classif- feation vas performed by sieving prior to SEH exanination, « dtetril size and intergroveh class as described by Steiner (1973) 18 equally well derivable {row tion matrix of particle observations on unsized particles. 18th APCOM Symposium, Brisbane, Australie, 197Table 2. G. GRANT, J. S. HALL, A. F. REID, AND M. ZUIDERWYK 167 Phase and chentcal properties of intergrovth clase intervals for a stzed® flotation fraction Mean Particle diam, va 206 20 206 199 12 199 232 208 213 205 Nt "4150 -212 um from cell 6 Cau aX of the total phase present Vcencres of clase intervals are given ha of the total sample ‘The degree to which the distribution functions show a bias or skevness, oF a statis~ tical compensation of one class interval by another fee wreological problem yet to be resolved. Hovever they do provide a direct representation of the volume fraction distribe uttons, and of surface area exposures, espectal- ly as compared with random planar sections. * % supmne content, Fig. 9 - Percentages of sulphide in composites with > 50% quarts. Symbols as in Fig. 6. Tig. 8 shove the intergrovth distributions for +150 ~212 aise fractions from cells 1, 3, and 6 of the flotation line. The quarts con- tents of these samples vere 29.9, 53.5 and 0.4% Fespectively, The phases are seen to be relat- ively highly Liberated, vith pronounced mexina at one oF other end of the distributions, and minima falling to sero at the SOE intergroveh clase, These results vere typical of all of the samples studied. Other distributions, such as the percent= age of quarts composites consisting of sulphide, Fig. 9, are available from the values show a systematic trend vith position in the flotation Lia detent with « higher float probability for quarts particles vith aonevhat larger amounts of locked sulphide: ‘These PHASE AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF INTERGROWTH CLASSES ‘The sizes, chanical compositions and Properties such as density, yield and weight fraction follow from the parameters of the component particles in a given class. Table 2 relat 15th APCOM Symposium, Brisbane, Australia, 197168 G. GRANT, J. S. HALL, A. F. REID, AND M. ZUIDERWYK gives the results obtained for the +150 -212 um fraction from cell 6, As an application of such data, curves C and D, Fig. 7, show the total amounts of copper carried on quartz com posites (particles vith’S0X quarts) for size fractions +150 -212 and +106 -105 ua, For clarity, individual sample points are oni tte from the curves, as the variations vere gener ally less than + 0.5 weight pefcent unite, From Table 2, it is of intetest to rve that a gravity separation of the part- icles vith densities below © 2.8 vould more than double the Cu grade from 11.3 to 26.8%. ‘There would of course be loss of 12% of re covered copper in this size fraction, Suppos- ing grade increases to be desirable, or there was a necessity for splitting the concentrates into high and low grades for separate treatment, data such as that presented in Table 2 would define the anounts and grades of fractions derived from auch a ‘As an example of the use to which the method of data collection and treatment may be Puc, it ts useful to define a “Liberation: index! LT, which characterizes « given intergroveh atetribution. ‘a funetion such that the amount of a given phase in a class interval 1s weighted by the value of the class interval, t.e. the area (volume) fraction of phase of interest. Thus, in terms of particles LICR) = ERD? Ag 1 FAY where Mj ts phase k, Fy is the area fraction of phase k in particle J, and Ay ta the projected area of the particle. The value of LE(P,) defines the distribution of phase Py over the population of intergrova particl and tends to unity (or 100%) as the phase decomes fully Libera Fig. 10 shows the values of LI for chalcopyrite as function of particle size and Within the ot We have chor cell number. rved scatter, CEU NUMBER, Pig. 10 - Liberation index for copper sulph: (chalcopyrite + bornite + covellite). Size symbols as in Fig. 6. there 1s a high degree of Liberation in samp] from the first three cells, with a rapid decrease after cell 4, Liberation 4s gener greatest for the smallest and least for the Largest particles, , The set of values for ce 7-9 results from additional collector added after cell 6, which acts to accentuate the flotation of quartz-rich particles in the nex few cells. ‘The LI valued for quartz in the flotat: system are shomn in Fig. 11. Quartz obtaing from the earlier cells ts rated, but degree of Liberation rapidly increases until cell 6, after vhich 4 slow increase occurs. ‘The LI values obtaine rather scattered, due to the this phase, but lay mainly in the range Sf ¢ 60% in the earlier celle and 60-70% in the ‘These values show # poor liberation pyrite from the other evo components, and th for pyrite vere nor nature of Late percentage of pyrite in totally free form vas generally found to be small. 15th APCOM Symposium, Brisbane, Australis, 1977G. GRANT, J. S. HALL, A. F. REID, AND M. ZUIDERWYK 169 109) 0, UBERATION WORX, % Fig. IL = Liberation index for quarce. Size symbols as in Fig. PHASE LIBERATION The number of particles in a given sample consisting wholly of single phases, or falling Anto any defined interval close to single phase follove from the sets of particle paranete For chalcopyrite-bornite, the percentage of free particles in the first 6 cells, for siz from +106 ~300 um, lay in the range 25 to 70 with considerably more variability than shown by the liberation index values, Fig. 10, vhere the variability is largely weighted out. In later cells, the percentage of chalcopyrite fully Liberated decreased considerably to levels of 10-152. The amount of free quartz, Fig. 12, 4 well defined increase along the flotation Line. Such behaviour te of course expected, but the present resulcs provide « quantificat= fon of the values, For cell 5, there is a known 1dtosyncratic behaviour, vith low froth= ing and undue feed pulp overflow, leading to high quartz recoveries. Arrove in Fig. 12 indicate these values. shove Fig. 12 - Percentages of. free sized flotation concentrate an in Tig. 6. Symbols conctustol ‘The couputer based SEM image analyser is shown to be capable of extracting from particle images a variety of site and compositional featires vhich provide distributions teportant im the general fields of particle charactertz- ation and mineral Liberation analysis, vith flotation particle behaviour taken as & particular example. ‘The measurenents have deaonstrated with considerable confidence that the summation of projected areas and conpositional sub-areas of tof random vhole particles provides a stereologically valid estimate of the volune fractions of the phases present, and use of this relationship will be of considerable value in future vork. AcevomencrnenTs, ‘The authors are indebted to Dr. R.E. Statietice Department, Australian Kation~ ty, for {Lluminating discussions on and sections; to Dr. Mite a1 Unive the stereology of particle Y. Nakajima and Dr. WJ. Widen, Julius Keute~ 16th APCOM Symposium. Brisbane, Australie, 1977170 1. GRANT, J. S. HALL, achnitt Minerals Research Centre, University of Queensland, for most helpful discussions on the relation betveen particle shapes and screening, behaviour, and to the Australian Mining Industry Research Association Limited, 191 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, for financLal support. ‘ ETERENCES MORES, J.R.G. and MIKA, 7.8. 1975 Comminution of « heterogenecus material: development of « model for Liberation pheno- sens.” Presented at Eleventh international Mineral Processing Congress, Calgari, 1973, preprint pages. 1-30 DELESSE, A. 18468. Pour déterminer 1a composit- jon des roches, Arn. das Hines, 18, fourth ertea, 379-388. DINGER, D.R. and MITE, E.W., 1976. 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