ASTM C429 Test for Sieve Analysis of Raw Materials for Glass Manufacture

Scope:

ASTM C429 is used for sieve analysis of 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.

Test Procedure:

To analyse a specimen using ASTM C429, we need to first assemble the sieves. 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 for ASTM C429. 

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. 

The percent retained on each sieve is calculated and reported to the nearest 0.1%. As per ASTM C429, when a fraction retained on a sieve is less than 0.1%, it is weighed to the nearest 1 mg, and reported to the nearest 0.01% or 0.001%.

Conclusion:

ASTM C429 is used for sieve analysis of raw materials used in the manufacturing of glass, such as sand, soda ash, limestone, alkali-alumina silicates, and other granular materials.