Particle Size Analysis is at the core of much of particle analysis as a whole. These standards apply broadly, providing some of the basic measuring practices and methods that underly the more niche topics presented below. Appropriately, a wide range of techniques are covered here, providing not just a detailed foundation, but a broad one.
Aerospace Particle Testing takes two forms - testing particles themselves, such as those in various liquids, exhausts, and residue; and using particle testing as part of a larger process of testing the quality of aircraft quality steel. With the higher demands that aerospace applications place on materials and processes, strict testing standards are widely used for the reliability they promote.
Paint particle testing standards are published by ISO, ASTM, and ANSI. The ISO 9934 series includes non-destructive testing general principles, detection media, and equipment. ANSI publishes a standard for arts and crafts materials for ink and paints. ASTM publishes standard test methods, practices, and guides on chemical analysis of zinc dust, sampling for particulate contamination by tape lift, microspectrophotometry, and evaluating on-site extraction for lead. The other ISO documents cover determination of density, sample preparation, coating powders, and viscosity determination.
Food Particle Testing covers coffee, tea, cereal, and tobacco. All meant for human use, testing these products is important for quality control and for compliance with various regulations governing foods. These standards address sampling methods, measurement of impurities, determination of particule size, and more.
Liquids and Fluids Particle Testing involves the analysis of particles in a liquid. A key component of work dealing with wastewater and water quality, turbidity and sedimentation are important characteristics requiring standardized analysis to track changes and compare samples across locations and laboraties. Additionally, fluids used for lubrication, hydraulics, and fluid circuits in road vehicles are tested for particle content and size, as a form of contamination and performance analysis.
Metal Particle Testing covers metallic powders, metal surface inspection, and magnetic particles. Aluminium oxide (alumina) also gets special mention, as does the preparation of steel substrates before the application of paints and related products. The analysis of metal surfaces for particles provides a range of useful information, and many standards have been developed to cover the various industrial procedures that take advantage of this.
Energy and Fuel Particle Testing standards cover coal, coke, biofuel, and other fuel sources. These procedures are used to determine the particle size distribution, density, composition/content, ash, moisture, impurities, and so forth. With the range of fuels and properties to be tested, standards have been developed to provide reliable testing procedures that can be trusted.
Poured Particle Testing standards address the particles that make up poured products such as asphalt, cement, and concrete. Given the need for uniformity in production for their successful application and long-term quality, standard test methods provide useful and reliable data for both manufacturers and consumers.
Aggregates Particle Testing standards look at the particles within the aggregate, analyzing and distinguishing between them to provide information about the aggregate as a whole. The qualities of an aggregate necessarily arise from the particles contained within, and standardized test methods for determining these qualities promote reliability and dependability.
Filters play a key role in particle testing standards, used as both a tool for testing particles for other purposes, and as a end in themselves, inhibiting the movement of particles. Because of this, there exist many different types of filters, each effective in capturing different particles based on size or their interactions with the particle. Appropriately, this leads to many standards covering such a variety, addressing construction and design, methods of use, applicability, and limitations.
Particle Testing for Coatings is crucial to the dependability of coatings. Similar to paints, the characteristics of coatings are defined by their composite particles, and standard test methods have been developed to test the coating characteristics with the goal of uniform reliability, as well as for use in development of new coatings.
Soil Testing procedures necessarily involve particles. Whether it's analyzing the composition, size, density, weight, or any other characteristic, soil analysis comes down to particle analysis. These standards cover a variety of different soils, used in a range of industries, for many very different purposes. Appropriately, while some of these soil particle testing standards are general and apply to many use-cases, others delve deep into specific niche applications.
A great many other applications exist for particle testing. Key among the ones included here are non-destructive testing, clean rooms, vocabulary, air-quality, airborne particles, abrasives, fertilizers, and nanotechnology. Also mentioned is clothing, compressed air, aerosol, radiation, semiconductors, incontinence, pesticides, ventilation, flue gas, unbound/hydraulically bound mixtures, and sampling.
Beyond the materials already mentioned above, particle testing standards have been developed to cover some other materials. The largest collections of standards addressed here deal with ceramic powders and plastics. Also included is carbon, catalysts, asbestos, rubber, glass, and pulp paper.
As the voice of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) empowers its members and constituents to strengthen the U.S. marketplace position in the global economy while helping to assure the safety and health of consumers and the protection of the environment.