Scope:

ASTM C429 is used for sieve analysis of the glass raw materials. Sieve analysis is used to assess the particle size distribution of a granular material. The granular material is allowed to pass through a series of sieves of progressively smaller mesh size and the amount of material that is stopped by each sieve is weighed as a fraction of the whole mass. 

The particle-size distribution of any granular material is a list of values that defines the relative amount of particles present according to size. The size distribution affects the way the material performs in use. 

Test Procedure:

The sieves are assembled. The coarsest sieve is kept on the top. The sieves kept below the top one get finer and finer. The bottom-most sieve is the finest. A pan is placed below the sieves to catch the finest granular materials.

The test specimen is placed on the top sieve. The nest of sieves is closed with a cover. The sieve assembly is placed on the shaker. The sieves are shaken for a specified time. The shaker is stopped, the sieves are removed, and the amount of material that is stopped by each sieve is weighed as a fraction of the whole mass.

 Specimen size:

Bulk quantities of particulate raw materials used in glass manufacturing are used as samples. 

Data:

Test samples are recovered at every level of the sieve assembly. The amount of material that is stopped by each sieve is weighed as a fraction of the whole mass. When all fractions are recovered and weighed, the sum of the fractions is taken as the test specimen mass for calculation; the sum of the fractions and the original sample mass should agree to within 1g or a weighing error is indicated.