Characterization of

Solid Particles
• Solid particles are characterized by their shape, size and density.
• Particles of homogeneous solids have the same density as the bulk material.
• Particles obtained by breaking up a composite solid have various densities, different
from the density of the bulk.
• Size and shape are easily specified for regular particles (e.g. spheres and cubes).
Particle Shape
• Shape of individual particle is expressed in terms of the sphericity
(ɸs). It is independent of particle size.
• Sphericity is a measure of how spherical (round) an object is.
• It is the ratio of the surface area of a sphere (with the same volume as
the given particle) to the surface area of the particle. For spherical
particle of diameter Dp, ɸs=1.
Particle Size
Diameters are specified for equidimensional
particle.
• Particles which are not equidimensional are characterized by the
second longest major dimension.
• For needlelike particles, Dp would refer to the thickness of the
particle.
• Coarse particles are measured in inches or centimeters, fine particles
in terms of screen size, very fine particles in micrometer or
nanometers, ultra fine particles in terms of their surface area per unit
mass, usually in square meters per unit mass (m2/g).
PARTICLE SIZE
Particle size is characterized using these
terms
• Very coarse
• Coarse
• Moderately coarse
• Fine
• Very fine
• Particle size can influence variety of important factors :- Dissolution
rate- Suspendability- Uniform distribution- Penetrability
Mixed Particle Sizes and Size
Analysis
• Mixtures of particles having various sizes and densities can be sorted
into fractions. Each fraction can be weighed.
• Information from particle size analysis is tabulated to show the mass
or number fraction in each size increment as a fraction of the average
particle size.
• The analysis tabulated in this way is called differential analysis.
• A second way to represent the information is through cumulative
analysis.
• Classification of Powders by Fineness
• d50= smallest sieve opening through which 50% or more of the material
passes
• Classification of Powderd50 Sieve Opening (m)
• Very Coarse> 1000
• Coarse355–1000
• Moderately Fine180–355
• Fine125–180
• Very Fine90–125
Mixed Particle Sizes and Screen
Analysis
• Mixtures of particles having various sizes and densities can be sorted
into fractions.
• Each fraction can be weighed. Information from particle size analysis
is tabulated to show the mass or number fraction in each size
increment as a fraction of the average particle size.
• The analysis tabulated in this way is called differential analysis.
• cumulative analysis
Methods To Determine Particle
Size
• Sieving Method
• Microscopy
• Sedimentation Techniques
• Laser Light Scattering Techniques
• Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analysis
• Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (PCS)
Sieving Weight distribution
• Sieve analysis is performed using a nest or stack of sieves where each
lower sieve has a smaller aperture size than that of the sieve above it.
• Sieves can be referred to either by their aperture size = mesh size =
sieve number
• The mesh size is the number of wires per linear inch.
• Sieving may be performed wet or dry, by machine or by hand, for a fixed
time or until powder passes through the sieve at a constant low rate
• Machines:
• Shaking
• Vibration
• Use a jet of air to clear the sieves
• Ultrasonics (wet sieving)
• Wet sieving
• Air-jet sieving
• Advantages
• Easy to perform
• Wide size range
• Inexpensive
• Disadvantages
• Known problems of reproducibility
• Wear/damage in use or cleaning

• Irregular/agglomerated
• particlesRod-like particles : overestimate of under-size
• Labour intensive
Size Measurement with Fine
Particles
• Dry screening is useful for particles with diameters greater than 44µm
(325-mesh).
• Wet screen analysis can be used for diameters down to 10µm.
• Particles finer than this can be measured by a variety of ways:
• Optical microscopy and gravity sedimentation for particles 1-100µm in
diameter.
• Light scattering techniques, sedimentation in centrifuges or
ultracentrifuges and electron microscopy are useful with finer
particles
Mixed Particle Sizes and Screen
Analysis
• Method of screen analysis:
• A set of standard screens is arranged serially in a stack, with the smallest
mesh at the bottom and the largest at the top.
• The sample is placed on the top and stack is shacked mechanically for a
definite time.
• The particles retained on each screen are removed and weighed.
• The masses of individual screens are converted to mass fractions or mass
percentages of the total sample.
• Particles passing the finest screen are caught in a pan at the bottom of the
stack.
Standard Screen Series
• Used to measure the size and size distribution of particles in the size
range between 3 and 0.0015 in.
• Testing sieves are made of woven wire screens, the openings are
square.
• Each screen is identified in meshes per inch.
• Actual openings are smaller than those corresponding to the mesh
numbers, because of the thickness of the wires
Standard Screen Series
• Tyler standard screen series are one of the common used series:
• The set is based on the opening of 200 mesh screen, established at
0.074mm.
• Area of the openings in any one screen in the series is twice that of the
openings in the next smaller screen.
• The ratio of the actual mesh dimension of any screen to that of the next
smaller is √2=1.41.
• for closer sizing, intermediate screens has a mesh dimension of =1.189
times that of the next smaller standard screen.
• these intermediate screens are not used.
Analysis of the Results
• Differential analysis:Results are tabulated to show mass fraction of
each screen as a function of the mesh size range.
• Two numbers are needed to specify the size range, one for the screen
through which the fraction passes and the other on which it is
retained (i.e. 14/20 means through 14 mesh and on 20 mesh).
Microscopy Optical microscopy
• Number distribution being able to examine each particle individually
has led to microscopy being considered as an absolute measurement
of particle size.
• Can distinguish aggregates from single particles. Can be coupled to
image analysis computers, each field can be examined, and a
distribution obtained.
• Most severe limitation of optical microscopy is the depth of focus
being about 10μm at x100 and only 0.5μm at x1000.With small
particles, diffraction effects increase causing blurring at the edges -
determination of particles < 3μm is less and less certain
Submicron particles
• For submicron particles it is necessary to use either:
• TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy)
• SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy)
Manual Optical Microscopy
Advantages
• Relatively inexpensive
• Each particle individually examined –
• detect aggregates
Disadvantages
• Time consuming - high operator fatigue
Sedimentation Techniques
• The particle size distribution of fine powder can be determined by
examining a sedimenting suspension of the powder.