Sieving methods of sieve analysis

Sieving analysis is a method for determining the particle size distribution of various bulk materials, described in a multitude of international standards. Sieve analysis is one of the most established methods in quality assurance and can be performed as either dry or wet sieving.

Manual sieving is also possible, but due to the individual influences of the operator like speed and strength, it is to be disregarded in a professional context.

Sieving analysis allows the characterization of particle size distributions of bulk materials of various shapes and sizes, enabling the determination and comparison of specific product properties such as solubility, flow behavior, and reactivity of different materials.

Sieve analysis

Sieve analyses are indispensable for production and quality control of powdery and granular bulk materials in many industries (including food, pharmaceutical, and chemical). Advantages of sieve analysis include:

easy handling
low investment costs
rapid delivery of precise and reproducible results
the ability to obtain individual particle size fractions

Therefore, this method can certainly compete with modern analytical techniques such as laser light scattering or image analysis methods.

To ensure high reproducibility and reliability, the sieve shaker and accessories must meet stringent requirements that comply with (inter)national standards. RETSCH analytical sieves and sieve shakers, as well as all other measuring equipment (e.g., balances) needed for characterizing particle size distribution, are therefore calibratable and are subject to test equipment monitoring as part of quality management systems. For comprehensive process reliability, careful sample preparation is also essential. Only in combination can sieving results be achieved that enable reliable characterization of your products.

Sieve Shakers Test Sieves

Overview of Sieving Principles

Vibratory sieving

The sample is thrown upwards by the vibrations of the sieve bottom and falls back down due to gravitation forces. The amplitude indicates the vertical oscillation height of the sieve bottom.

With vibratory sieving, the sample is subjected to a 3-dimensional movement, i.e. a circular motion superimposes the vertical throwing motion . Due to this combined motion, the sample material is spread uniformly across the whole sieve area. The particles are accelerated in vertical direction, rotate freely and then fall back statistically oriented. In RETSCH sieve shakers, an electromagnetic drive sets a spring/mass system in motion and transfers the oscillations to the sieve stack. The amplitude can be adjusted continuously to a few millimeters.

Horizontal sieving

In a horizontal sieve shaker the sieves move in horizontal circles in a plane. Horizontal sieve shakers are preferably used for needle-shaped, flat, long or fibrous samples. Due to the horizontal sieving motion, hardly any particles change their orientation on the sieve.

Tap sieving

In a tap sieve shaker a horizontal, circular movement is superimposed by a vertical motion generated by a tapping impulse. Tap sieve shakers are specified in various standards for particle size analysis.

The number of comparisons between particles and sieve apertures is substantially lower in tap sieve shakers than in vibratory sieve shakers (2.5 s-1 as compared to ~50 s-1) which results in longer sieving times. On the other hand, the tapping motion gives the particles a greater impulse, therefore, with some materials, such as abrasives, the fraction of fine particles is usually higher. With light materials such as talcum or flour however, the fraction of fine particles is lower.

AIR JET SIEVING

The air jet sieve is a sieving machine for single sieving, i.e. for each sieving process only one sieve is used. The sieve itself is not moved during the process.

The material on the sieve is moved by a rotating jet of air: A vacuum cleaner which is connected to the sieving machine generates a vacuum inside the sieving chamber and sucks in fresh air through a rotating slit nozzle. When passing the narrow slit of the nozzle the air stream is accelerated and blown against the sieve mesh, dispersing the particles. Above the mesh, the air jet is distributed over the complete sieve surface and is sucked in with low speed through the sieve mesh. Thus the finer particles are transported through the mesh openings into the vacuum cleaner or, optionally, into a cyclone.

In air jet sieving, only a single sieve is used at a time, and it is not moved during the sieving process. A rotating nozzle below the sieve directs a jet of air onto the material to be sieved, causing particles to deagglomerate and then be sucked through the sieve. Air jet sieving is suitable for size ranges from 10 µm to 4 mm.

Dry sieving

Dry sieving is the most popular method of reproducible sieve analysis, including vibration, horizontal and tap sieving. Air jet sieving is also considered a dry sieving method, but it is a special process (see below). If necessary, the sample is dried in advance to avoid clumping. Before sieving, the sample is weighed, then placed in the sieving system and weighed again at a later point in time.

Sieving is used to determine the percentage of the sample that remains on the sieve or is smaller than the selected mesh size. If a particle size determination of the various fractions is to be carried out (set sieving), a sieve stack is used that contains several sieves with different mesh sizes (40 µm – 125 mm).

However, to ensure that the results are reproducible beyond doubt, the machine should be set up completely digitally. Furthermore, the integrated control unit should be constantly monitored to avoid unintentional changes and deviations during the test.

Wet sieving

Wet sieving is used to determine particle sizes in moist, greasy or oily samples. It is also the method of choice when the material to be analyzed is already present as a suspension and cannot be dried, as well as for particles that tend to agglomerate (usually < 45 µm), which would otherwise clog the sieve openings.

The material to be sieved is suspended and, as with dry sieving, applied to the uppermost sieve and then rinsed with water under vibration until the liquid emerging from below the sieve stack is unclouded. Wet sieving is carried out in the range 20 µm - 20 mm.

Different Requirements, Different Sieving Parameters

The optimal parameter settings depend on the respective material. Depending on the chosen sieve shaker, interval, speed, sieving time, amplitude, or even negative pressure may come into play. Although numerous (inter)national standards and guidelines exist for product-specific sieve analysis parameters, for some materials, suitable parameters must be determined experimentally. We are happy to assist you.

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Horizontal sieving:
For flakes, sticks...
-> Long particles stay on the sieve

Vibratory sieving:
Lenghtwise passing of the particles through the pores.
-> Sample seems to be finer

Different sieving methods lead to different sieving results, which can be reflected in the particle size distribution. The diagrams illustrate how the horizontal sieving method and the vibratory sieving method each affect the particle size fractions. While the horizontal method achieves specific sorting through uniform movements, the vibratory sieving method utilizes 3D throwing motions for alternative separation. This results in different particle distributions, clearly shown in the diagrams.

Both times an identical sample of wood pieces was sieved

Sieving is a comparative method. Every particle that can pass through the mesh is accordingly smaller than the mesh size. Sieving usually considers the volume or mass fractions of a sample. Number (Q₀), length (Q₁), or area (Q₂) are usually determined by optical methods (e.g., Camsizer). The problem: Camsizers only capture the measurement parameters without being able to fractionate the sample.

In most cases, the Q₃ dimension (volume) is suitable as a parameter for reliable quantification of particle size distribution. This is because volume is directly proportional to mass and thus the simplest property to use to reliably determine particle size distribution with minimal effort.

Only optical instruments provide information about particle shape

Dependening on the falling orientation of the particles, it can be detected in different ways.
Sticks might be detected as spheres or coins.

Quantification

Q₀ number
Q₁ length
Q₂ area (surface or projection surface)
Q₃ mass or volume

Comparability

Distribution of volume, surface and number, e.g. of cubes which have the same total volume.

Q₀ number	1	10³	10⁶number
Q₁ length	10	1	0.1 [mm¹]
Q₂ surface	600	6,000	60,000 [mm²]
Q₃ volume	10³	10³	10³ [mm³]

Equivalent Diameter

Sphere: Diameter independant from site of view - 1 mm real size
Stick: Particle can pass mesh lengthwise - particle is longer than 1 mm equivalent diameter.
Coin: Has also equivalent diameter of 1 mm, but can be up to 1.3 mm in real.

Grain size analysis

The formal size of individual particles in a mixture is referred to as the “grain size”, and grain size analysis is used to determine this size. The subsequent size distribution of the particles has a significant influence on the properties of a material, both scientifically and technically.

Due to numerous differentiations and even different methods of determination, grain size analysis is considered an independent discipline of granulometry.

Methods of grain size analysis

Although there are different methods for analyzing and determining grain sizes, the equivalent diameter is always determined in all variants. Which method is ultimately used depends heavily on the question, possible regulations and the grain size range itself.

Larger particles, from a size of about 40 mm, are usually measured by hand or on the basis of photos, while sieving is often used for the particle size analysis of very small particles, down to a size of 10 µm. For sieving, sieves of different sizes are first stacked on top of each other and clamped in a sieving machine. The sample is then placed in the top sieve (with the largest hole size) and subjected to a defined sieving motion for a certain period of time to ensure precise sieving.

The particles of the sample are separated according to their size on the sieves. After that, the percentage of the individual fractions remaining on the sieves with different hole sizes is determined. The percentage mass fractions of the individual fractions are referred to as p3. The cumulative distribution curve Q3 provides information about the added masses of the individual fractions. It is common to provide information about the size of the sample smaller than 90%, 50% and 10%.

Optical particle characterization

The particle size analysis can also be carried out using optical measurement technology. Depending on the measurement variant, statements can also be made about the particle shape. The measuring range is between 0.3 nm and 30 mm, depending on the system. The particle characterization can be carried out in suspensions, emulsions, colloidal systems, powders, granules and bulk materials.

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Analysis of Particle Size Distribution - Product Overview

SIEVE ANALYSIS FOR QUALITY CONTROL

We all know the term “quality”. It is widely used to describe a product of particularly high value. However, the exact definition of quality is as follows: Quality is the compliance of defined properties with the detected properties of a product as determined by performing tests. A product can be described as high-quality if a test measurement ascertains that the desired properties lie within a given tolerance. If the measured values deviate too much, the quality is lower. Many materials, whether natural or artificial, occur in dispersed form (material which does not form a consistent unity but is divided into elements which can be separated from each other, e.g. a pile of sand). The particle sizes and their distribution within a material quantity - i.e. the fractions of particles of different sizes – have a crucial influence on physical and chemical properties.

A few examples of properties which can be influenced by the particle size distribution:

the strength of concrete
the taste of chocolate
the dissolution properties of tablets
the pourability and solubility of washing powders
the surface activity of filter materials

These examples clearly show how important it is to know the particle size distribution, particularly within the context of quality assurance of bulk goods for production processes. If the particle size distribution changes during the production process, the quality of the product will change as well.

Sieve Shakers Test Sieves

RETSCH Sieve Shakers for Reproducible Results

RETSCH sieve shakers cover a comprehensive measurement and application range for your requirements. Different sieving movements and sieve sizes enable you to use the appropriate RETSCH sieve shaker for every material that can be sieved. This ensures you always obtain exact and reproducible results – naturally in accordance with test equipment monitoring (DIN EN ISO 9001ff).

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