Sagwell will tell you how to distinguish the fineness of iron powder without using instruments
As we all know, iron powder comes in various particle sizes, ranging from hundreds of micron to nanoscale. So, you might be curious about how to determine its fineness without using instruments.Today, Sagwell will explain to you where you can make a judgment.
- Visually distinguish fineness
In the actual production or use of Metal Powders, many manufacturers, due to various constraints, are unable to accurately determine the particle size distribution of the metal powders. They can only make rough judgments based on direct observation and contact, relying on experience.
Here, we will use iron powder as an example to briefly introduce the intuitive judgment of fine powder versus coarse powder. Visually observing metal powders, different particle sizes (with a D50 difference of more than 15 micron) exhibit different stacking phenomena. Below are the stacking diagrams of three types of iron powders from Sagwell:
UHF (D50 2.5-3.5 micron),
UHZ (D50 22-28 micron),
D7 (D50 > 60 micron).
From observing the phenomenon of powder stacking in the photos, we can see that the finer the powder particles, the more obvious the agglomerated particles are; at the same time, we also observe that the coarser the powder, the more regular and smoother the edges of the powder stacking are.
- Touch
In addition to observing the phenomenon of powder stacking, we can also feel the coarseness of the powder by gently pinching it with our fingers, either directly or through a regular resealable sample bag.
Fine powder feels like touching silk satin with your fingers, while relatively coarse powder feels like touching sand. This method can more directly compare the fineness of powders with a large particle size difference (D50 difference of more than 30 micron).
Whether by visual observation or direct tactile assessment, a certain level of experience is required to roughly judge the coarseness of the powder, and it cannot accurately determine the powder particle size distribution. This method is suitable for roughly comparing powders with a significant difference in particle size (D50 difference of more than 30 micron) in the absence of any powder particle size testing equipment.
You can roughly identify iron powder without instruments. So, have you learned it?