Quantitative Analysis of the Shape Characteristics for Quartz Particles

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mineralogy
• Geology

Background:

• Quartz is a vital non-metallic mineral with diverse industrial applications.
• Particle shape characteristics significantly influence the performance of dry ramming mixes, including bulk density and thermal properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively analyze the geometric parameters and fractal dimensions of quartz particles from different origins and sizes.
• To establish relationships between quartz particle shape, size, and origin for optimizing dry ramming mix formulations.

Main Methods:

• Digital image processing was employed to analyze geometric parameters (flatness, circularity, angularity) of quartz particles.
• Fractal theory was applied to calculate the fractal dimension of quartz particles, with over 300 particles analyzed per size category.
• Quartz samples from four distinct origins and seven different particle sizes were investigated.

Main Results:

• Quartz from Luoyang displayed the highest flatness, while Fengyang quartz exhibited the greatest circularity.
• Quartz particles from Xiangyang and Chengde showed similar flatness and angularity.
• Fengyang's 20-100 mesh quartz particles had higher fractal dimensions (1.027–1.060) compared to others.
• Smaller quartz particles (<70-100 mesh) generally displayed more regular shapes with circularity >0.8.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative characterization revealed distinct shape-size relationships for quartz particles based on origin.
• The findings provide a critical basis for selecting raw quartz materials and ensuring quality control in silica-based dry ramming mixes.