Chapter 6

Derivation of the Dinger-Funk

Particle Size Distribution Equation

This chapter details the derivation of the three parameter particle size
distribution equation shown as Equation 4-5:

(4-5)

where CPFT cumulative percent finer than,

D particle size,
Ds smallest particle size,
DL largest particle size,
n distribution modulus.

This equation was originally derived from Andreasen's equation, shown as

Equation 4-2:

CPFr (D)"
100% = DL
(4-2)

The variables in Andreasen's equation carry the same definitions as those in

Equation 4-5, above. The main difference between these two equations is the
Ds term.
Our own interest in the field of particle packing was originally to determine
the form of particle size distribution that would achieve densest packing. This
is no longer the major consideration since it has been found that good forming
rheology is not consistent with maximum packing efficiency, but the equation,
per se, still applies.
Andreasen's approach!, which was developed to handle continuous
distributions of particles, appeared to be the best available starting point for our
research. Furnas' approach2 was based on the packing of discrete classes of

J. E. Funk et al., Predictive Process Control of Crowded Particulate Suspensions

© Kluwer Academic Publishers 1994
76 Predictive Process Control

100 C~PFT HISTOGRAM % 100

DL • 104 p.m
n • 0.30

10 10

0.1~~~~~WU~~~ilW~LUUllLLWill~UL--~-LLU~0.1

0.1 10 100 1000

Particle Size (Micrometers)

Figure 6-1. CPFf and histogram for an Andreasen distribution with ~ = 104
!-Lm, and n = 0.3.

particles. We were not convinced at that time, and we are still not convinced,
that the packing of monodisperse systems of particles has any relationship to the
packing of continuous systems of particles. But Furnas had included a D. term
in his equation which did appear to be a practical concept. We therefore set out
to add a Ds term to Andreasen's equation.
To build an experimental Andreasen distribution using his Equation 4-1 as
a guide, one simply calculates the cumulative percent finer than (CPFf)
distribution at each predetermined class size in the distribution, which includes
DL and all finer sizes. From this cumulative CPFf curve, the histogram
percentages (the amounts in each size class) can be calculated. With these
results in hand, one can go into the lab, weigh the proper amounts of particles
in each size class, and build a distribution.
Figure 6-1 shows an Andreasen distribution with modulus n = 0.3. Both
CPFT and histogram forms of the distribution are shown. Class sizes are
\12:1; the ratio between adjacent sizes is 1.1892. To build an equivalent
experimental distribution in the lab, the amounts of material in each size class
can be calculated by multiplying the desired total batch size by the histogram
percentage in each class size.
Figure 6-2 shows an experimental distribution that was formed by adding
materials in order from coarsest to finest size classes, to form the batch.