STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS ON THE GRANULOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBMICRON ALUMINUM OXIDE IN α-FORM

Experimental studies of the influence of technological parameters of grinding alumina raw materials in a ball mill on the kinetics of the grinding process and the granulometric characteristics of activated alumina in the α-form have been carried out. It is found that the use of spherical grinding bodies leads to the formation of a specific four-modal granulometric composition with maxima: 0.5; 4.0; 50.0 and 400.0 microns, respectively. The disadvantage of using spherical grinding bodies is the uneven distribution of the introduced intensifier additive (PEG), which in turn causes adhesion of fine particles and the appearance of aggregates. This is especially pronounced at n = 100 rpm. When using grinding bodies of cylindrical shape, on the contrary, there is a tendency towards a bimodal nature of the distribution of particles with maxima in the regions of 0.4 and 4 μm, respectively, regardless of the rotation speed of the drum (n). The use of cylpebs does not provoke agglomeration of the fine particle fraction, which is observed in the case of spherical grinding bodies. When analyzing the kinetics of grinding alumina raw materials, two main stages of the process are identified. The first stage corresponds to the active fragmentation of large initial aggregates into constituent crystallites by the cleavage mechanism. The second stage corresponds to a change in the grinding mechanism from crushing to abrasion. It is found that carrying out the grinding process for 10 hours using cylindrical grinding bodies at n = 100 rpm and φ = 0.35 provides a high yield of the submicron fraction of the target product (1 μm) - up to 20 wt. %.

Granulometric composition research of mine rocks as a material for backfilling the mined-out area in coal mines

Purpose. Determination of the granulometric characteristics and loosening coefficient of mine rocks formed during stope operations from undercutting the bottom rocks as a potential backfill material based on a set of mine and laboratory research. Methods. To do research, a complex methodology is used, which includes a photographic surveying the mass of destroyed rocks from undercutting the bottom rocks in mine conditions, digital processing and determining the granulometric composition in the software package, sampling the mine rocks at the surface complex, and reconstructing the granulometric composition, similar to the full-scale mine conditions in the laboratory. Sieve analysis, laboratory balance and laboratory container are used to determine the granulometric composition and loosening coefficient. Findings. The dependence between the granulometric composition and loosening coefficient of rocks, which increases by 33% within fractions of 0-50 mm and by 8% within fractions of 50-140 mm, has been revealed. It has been determined that the destroyed rocks in the face within fractions of 0-140 mm have a bulk density of 1.28 g/cm3, loosening coefficient of 1.7, the voidness of and the maximum reserve for the backfill mass compaction with mine rocks is 41.9%. An analytical assessment of the volumes of the formed cavities of the mined-out area in the longwall face and gobed mine workings, as well as the prospects and completeness of their filling with mine rocks have been performed. Originality. It has been determined that the loosening coefficient of mine rocks destroyed in the stope face by KA-200 shearer changes according to the logarithmic dependence on their granulometric composition. This makes it possible to control the granulometric characteristics of the backfill material to achieve the maximum density of the backfill mass. Practical implications. Further research can serve as a basis for determining the rational parameters for the formation and placement of backfill masses during complex-mechanized selective mining of coal seams using various methods of backfilling operations.

Granulometric Characteristics Study for the Particles of the Cu2-xS - Fex+1S System

The electrolysis of granular matte is a new alternative method for processing sulphide copper materials with the production of cathode copper and the conversion of sulfur to the elemental state. For the first time were established the regularities for the Cu2-xS – Fex+1S granules distribution by the size classes of obtained granulations for the Cu - Fe - S melt at temperatures of 1200, 1250, 1300 and 1350 °C. The maximum amount of Cu2-xS – Fex+1S material of size class 5.0 + 2.5, -2.5 + 1.6 and-1.6 + 1.0 mm, which corresponds to the conditions of following electrochemical processing and estimated as 72.5%, was obtained by granulation of the melt at 1200 °C. The granulometric characteristics of Cu2-xS – Fex+1S granules were estimated. With an increase in the overheating temperature of the Cu - Fe - S melt, granules with a large value of the average diameter were obtained, also the root-mean-square deviation of the particle size from the average value increases and the degree of polydispersity of the granules decreases. The duration of cooling for Cu2-xS – Fex+1S granules from the melt temperatures at 1200, 1250, 1300 and 1350 °C was calculated. In the entire considered temperature range, the particle cooling time is much longer than the spheroidization time, which contributes to the formation of spherical particles.

Investigation of the Properties of Powder Materials Using Computer Modeling

Granulometric characteristics of structurally inhomogeneous materials based on full-scale mounds of a powder mixture of different fractional composition are established. Regularities of backfilling of powder particles of different shapes and sizes are revealed, and changes in the polydispersity of powder particles within each fraction are justified. It is proved that with a decrease in the average particle size of structurally inhomogeneous AlCu2 materials in a single fraction, the size spread relative to this value of other particles increases. The results of calculating the porosity of backfills with particles of various shapes (round, triangular, and square) depending on the cross-sectional area of the lobules are presented. A three-dimensional diagram is constructed that shows the relationships between the fractional composition of powder particles, their average diameter, and the degree of inhomogeneity of homogeneous bronze AlCu2.

Properties of Vibro-Abrasive Treatment by Combination the Kinds and Granulometric Characteristics of the Medium

The article presents the features of vibration processing of parts of electronic equipment in granular media. The method of combined processing by mixing granules with cutting and activating properties is considered as one of the ways to increase the intensity of vibration treatment. The increase in intensity is experimentally confirmed on the basis of a multivariate experiment with the construction of a regression model of the process.

Spatialization of Granulometric and Chemical Characteristics in Irrigated Hydromorphic Soil

Lowlands represent a significant portion of agricultural areas in the world. Thus, understanding the spatial variability of the chemical and granulometric characteristics of hydromorphic soils can contribute to improving soil management and fertility. The objective of this work was to characterize spatial dependence, spatialized chemical attributes, granulometry, and the ideal number of samples in irrigated hydromorphic soil. Soil sampling was conducted in a grid of 10x10 m, in the layers of 0–0.1 and 0.1–0.2 m, totalling 432 composite samples. The evaluated attributes are as follows: pH in water, H+Al, SOM, Ca, Mg, Al, P, K, CTC, V%, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, clay, silt, and sand. The texture of the area was classified as loamy–sandy and free in the 0–0.1 and 0.1–0.2 m layers, respectively. The coefficient of variation of the attributes ranged from 2.71% (0–0.1m) to 149.07% (0.1–0.2m). All the attributes studied exhibited moderate to strong spatial dependence. The sample grid with a sampling interval of 20 m referring to the 0–0.1 m layer proved to be adequate. The ideal number of simple samples per composite is 19 for granulometry and macronutrients, and 28 for the micronutrients in the 0–0.1 m layer.

From hazardous asbestos containing wastes (ACW) to new secondary raw material through a new sustainable inertization process: a multimethodological mineralogical study

<p><strong> </strong>Nowadays, asbestos-containing wastes (ACW) still represent an important environmental problem and a severe health hazard due to the well know pulmonary diseases derived from asbestos fibres inhalation. Except for a very few cases, ACW are currently confined in controlled landfills, giving rise to increasingly high amounts of still hazardous wastes. A promising alternative to landfill confinement is represented by ACW inertization, but the high cost of the inertization processes so far proposed by the scientific community have hampered the creation of actually operative plants. In this paper, we explore the possibility to use an innovative process that ensures the obtainment of asbestos-free inert material in an exceptionally short processing time, thus greatly reducing cost-related problems. The efficacy of the inertization process has been verified through accurate mineralogical investigations on both chrysotile and crocidolite de-activated fibres, through X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Overall mineralogical, microstructural and granulometric characteristics of the inert bulk material suggest that it could be successfully re-used as a secondary raw material in ceramic industries. This innovative inertization procedure could therefore provide an effective and economically sustainable solution for ACW management.</p>

Distribution and Sediment Selection by the Mud Shrimp Upogebia noronhensis (Crustacea: Thalassinidea) and the Potential Effects on the Associated Macroinfaunal Community

Burrowers such as thalassinideans remobilize sediment in benthic ecosystems, altering granulometry, enhancing organic matter cycling and oxygenation. We characterized the distribution of the mud shrimp Upogebia noronhensis and the associated macroinfauna along a depth and granulometric gradient in a shallow subtidal area in the southern Brazilian coast. Mud shrimp densities were estimated by burrow opening count using 0.25 m2 quadrats in three sediment zones: sand, sand-mud transition and mud. Macroinfaunal community descriptors and sediment granulometric characteristics were assessed. U. noronhensis average density varied from 0.6 to 145 individuals m−2 and was highest in the transition zone and lowest in the sand zone. Macrofauna in the sand zone was at least three times more abundant and 1.2 times richer, averaging 436.3 organisms and 39 species, while the transition and mud zones were more even in species distribution (species evenness > 0.7). The shrimp presence seems to be linked to a coarse sand content <80% and clay and silt <40% in the sediment, a compromise between gallery construction ability and filter-feeding suitability. High densities and aggregated distribution of mud shrimp, combined with alteration of sediment grain composition and organic matter, are likely to affect macroinfaunal abundance nearby the burrows.

X-ray diffraction method application to assess the energy losses on explosive-rock contact under various blasting

The dissipative energy losses of the explosion on the explosive-rock contact are usually evaluated with comparative analysis of the particle size distribution of finely dispersed fractions (0-100 microns). The more tiny particles contained in the destruction products, the higher there is a level of energy loss during the explosion. Fine dust granulometric characteristics are determined by processing the mass measurements data of the individual smallest particles sizes when decoding microphotographs obtained by a microscope. However due to the chromatic aberrations due the wave nature of light and the optical systems imperfection, it is not possible to reliably estimate the mass and granulometric characteristics particles of micron size. X-ray diffraction method for studying ultrafine rock fracture products makes it possible to estimate the dissipative energy losses on explosive-rock contact based on the reflected X-ray beam total intensity in diffractograms. In order to establish the effectiveness of methods for reducing the level of dissipative energy losses of an explosion, X-ray diffraction patterns of finely dispersed fracture products of rock samples under various conditions of dynamic loading are analyzed (using different charge designs, attenuating the rocks by the action of a surfactant, and the force action of a different gradient stress field).

A synopsis of knowledge, zoogeography and an online interactive map of Brazilian marine gastrotrichs

Information regarding the records of Brazilian marine gastrotrichs is presented. We systematized and organized the existing information associated with approximately 23 species (belonging to the genera Aspidiophorus, Chaetonotus, Crasiella, Dactylopodola, Dendrodasys, Draculiciteria, Halichaetonotus, Heteroxenotrichula, Kryptodasys, Macrodasys, Pseudostomella, Ptychostomella, Urodasys and Xenotrichula) from the Brazilian coast (eight endemic) and their 1,581 records from 36 marine ecoregions of the world. A link is provided to an on-line interactive map where all occurrences for each species are shown, accompanied by geographic coordinates, oceans, countries, cities, granulometric characteristics and ecoregions. Furthermore, a critical analysis of the geographical distribution of Brazilian marine gastrotrichs, an estimate of the number of undescribed species, a summary of the existence and status of taxonomical collections are also presented.