Fine Mixtures Research Articles

Asteroid regolith strength: Role of fine-fractions

Most smaller asteroids (<1 km diameter) are granular material loosely bound together primarily by self-gravity known as rubble piles. In an effort to better understand the evolution of rubble-pile asteroids, we performed bulk measurements using granular simulant to study the effects of the presence of fine grains on the strength of coarse grains. Our laboratory samples consisted of fine–coarse mixtures of varying percentages of fine grains by volume of the sample. We measured the material’s angle of repose, Young’s Modulus, angle of internal friction, cohesion, and tensile strength by subjecting the samples to compressive and shear stresses. The coarse grains comprising the fine–coarse mixtures ranged from 1 mm to 20 mm (2 cm) and the fines were sieved to sub-millimeter sizes (<1 mm). The measured angles of repose varied between 32°–45° which increased with increasing fine percentage. In compression, samples generally increased in strength with increasing fine percentage for both confined and unconfined environments. In all cases, the peak strengths were not for purely fine grains but for a mixture of fine and coarse grains. Shear stress measurements yielded angles of internal friction ranging between 25° and 45° with a trend opposite that of the angle of repose, 300–550 Pa for bulk cohesion, and 0.5–1.1 kPa for tensile strength. Using other published works that include data from telescopic and in-situ observations as well as numerical simulations, we discussed the implications of our findings regarding rubble-pile formation, composition, evolution, and disruption. We find that the presence of fine grains in subsurface layers of regolith on an asteroid (confined environment) aids the avoidance of disruption due to impact. However these same fines increase an asteroid’s chance to disrupt or deform from high rotation speeds due to reduced grain interlocking. In surface layers (unconfined environments), we find that the presence of fine grains between coarse ones generates stronger cohesion and aids in the prevention of mass loss and surface shedding.

The Variations of Clinker Superparamagnetic Value from PT. Semen Padang by Using a Bartington Magnetic Susceptibility Meter Sensor Type B

Clinker is a significant material in the cement manufacturing process. Before clinker formation, the raw material is burned in a Rotary Kiln with a temperature of up to 1450℃. After that, it is cooled in a Greet Cooler to a temperature of 100℃ and produces clinker. During the clinker manufacturing process, always being test on samples, but there has been no test based on magnetic susceptibility. The purpose of this research is to know the variation of the superparamagnetic clinker value based on the magnetic susceptibility value. The method used is the rock magnetism method using a Bartington Magnetic Susceptibility Meter MS2B Type. A sampling of clinker is taken hourly every day from PT. Padang Cement. From the value of magnetic susceptibility based on low-field magnetic susceptibility , it was obtained that the values ​​varied from 3.2 × 10-8m3/kg to 22.6 ×10-8m3/kg. The frequency of dependents is also diverse, ranging from 0.0% to 7.4%. Based on the obtained, the type of grain produced also varies. 136 samples of clinker containing less than 10% superparamagnetic grains, and 32 samples belonging to Medium have a percentage of 2%-10% where the sample comprises superparamagnetic grains. Between 10% and 75% is a mixture of fine and coarse superparamagnetic grains.

Siraitia grosvenorii Extract Attenuates Airway Inflammation in a Mouse Model of Respiratory Disease Induced by Particulate Matter 10 Plus Diesel Exhaust Particles.

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) causes considerable breathing-related health risks. Siraitia grosvenorii fruit is a traditional remedial plant used in Korea and China to treat respiratory diseases. Our recently published study showed that S. grosvenorii extract (SGE) ameliorated airway inflammation in lipopolysaccharide- and cigarette-smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in mice. Thus, we aimed to assess the inhibitory effects of SGE on airway inflammation in mice exposed to a fine dust mixture of PM10 (PM diameter < 10 mm) and diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) known as PM10D. The mice (BALB/c) were treated with PM10D via intranasal injection three times over a period of 12 days, and SGE 70% ethanolic extract (50 or 100 mg/kg) was orally administered daily for 12 days. SGE attenuated neutrophil accumulation and the number of immune B and T cells from the lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of the PM10D-exposed mice. SGE reduced the secretion of cytokines and chemokines, including interleukin (IL)-1α, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-17, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL)1, and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2 in the BALF. Airway inflammation, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and collagen fibrosis in the lung after PM10D exposure were investigated via histopathological analysis, and SGE treatment ameliorated these symptoms. SGE decreased the mRNA expression of mucin 5AC (MUC5AC), CXCL1, TNF-α, MIP-2, and transient receptor potential ion channels in the lung tissues. Furthermore, SGE ameliorated the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling by PM10D in the lungs. We conclude that SGE attenuated PM10D-induced neutrophilic airway inflammation by inhibiting MAPK/NF-κB activation. These results show that SGE may be a candidate for the treatment of inflammatory respiratory diseases.

Synthesis of equimolar solid solution of zirconium and hafnium diborides by vacuum-thermal routes

We explored the Zr₁₋ₓHfₓB₂ system with first-principles cluster expansion and thermodynamic analysis of possible reactions targeting the synthesis in vacuum-thermal conditions. The results suggest that the system may have a slight tendency to ordering but at high temperatures the formation of solid solutions is driven by the entropy of mixing. We realized the synthesis of an equimolar composition (x = 0.5) by sintering of ZrB2 and HfB2 and reduction from oxides by boron with varying homogenization of the reacting mixtures. The temperature of the complete transformation strongly depended on the reactants homogeneity and was 1900 °C for more coarse raw materials and below 1700 °C for a fine hydrothermal mixture of oxides. The possibility of producing non-equimolar compositions of the solid solutions by the same method was also experimentally demonstrated.

Permanent deformation prediction model for freeze–thaw coarse–fine mixture of geomaterials with varying fine content: Influence of loading frequency

The impact of cyclic loading frequency (fcyc) on the permanent deformation (εp) of freeze–thaw coarse–fine mixture of geomaterials (FTCF) has been extensively investigated. In this work, long-term cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on FTCF specimens with varying fcyc and deviatoric stress (qcyc) with different numbers of freeze–thaw cycles (NFT), in order to investigate εp under freeze–thaw cycling. This study systematically analysed and discussed the effects of fcyc and qcyc on εp of FTCF samples with different fine particle contents (FC). A rate-dependent multistage load-prediction model for εp was proposed and evaluated. The results showed that the freeze–thaw cyclic had a less significant impact on εp when compared to the dynamic triaxial loading. The speed and piston effects of the FTCF under dynamic loads were mutually restricting, with their combined impact closely related to the loading frequency. A higher deformation resistance for a coarse-grained skeleton is attained with the effective filling of fine particle clusters in the pores of skeleton. A function was proposed to describe the relationship between the hyperbolic model parameters and fcyc, qcyc, as well as FC. This function could be used to estimate the hyperbolic model parameters under different dynamic stresses and material states. An equivalent stress-state parameter was introduced to consider the effect of the loading frequency, enabling the exploration of dynamic loading's influence on the equivalent vibration number (Neq). A comparison between the predicted results and the test data showed that the proposed model could accurately reproduce the cumulative behaviour of the εp of FTCF under different fcyc and qcyc.

Experimental Examination on Use of Recycled Materials in Stone Matrix Asphalt

SMA (stone matrix asphalt or stone mastic asphalt) was initially discovered in German &amp; European and countries as impermeable or highly resilient wearing surface for bridge decks. Generally, it consists of two parts, a binder rich mortar and a coarse aggregate. It is made by a mixture of crushed fine and coarse aggregates, stabilizer such as polymers or fibres, cement &amp; mineral filler. In present work, an effort has been made to study the properties of Stone Matrix Asphalt mixes with cellulose fibre and using recycled pavement material as well as slag in partial replacement of stone aggregates as coarse and fine aggregate grades. This research project was done to check the usage of recycled pavement material in Stone Matrix Asphalt mixture by conducting Marshall test in the lab in which flow &amp; stability value was examined along with other properties of mixtures. Here IRC -SP-79 specification, aggregate gradation is taken for stone matrix asphalt. Binder used is 60/70 penetration grade bitumen. Binder content is varied as 4%, 5%, 5.5%, 6%, and 7% by weight of aggregates and fibre used is optimum fibre content at 0.3% by the weight of aggregate. Key Words: SMA (Stone Matrix Asphalt), RAP (Recycled Asphalt Pavement)

Effect of Particle Sizes on the Physio-Mechanical Properties of Bamboo Particleboard

The focus on timber species as the main source of raw material for wood based panel is alarming. This research work evaluated the effect of particle sizes on bamboo particleboard. The study was carried out in the Scientific Equipment Development Institution, Awkuke Enugu State. Laboratory tests were conducted both for physical and mechanical properties of the board at the Fredrick Research Centre, Agbani in Enugu state. Board density, moisture content and weight were variables measured for physical properties while internal bond, Modulus of elasticity (MOE), Modulus of rupture (MOR) were measured for mechanical properties using Shimadzu Universal Testing Machine. Data collected were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and significant means separated with Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 5% level of probability. Results recorded that T1 (fine particle) at 1.0 mm had higher values of MOR, MOE and internal bonding at 29.57, 1958.10 and 1.54 respectively followed by T3 (mixture of fine and coarse) and T2 (coarse particles). T2 had the highest moisture content of 8.22%, followed by T3 8.05% and T1 7.91% while T1 had the highest density (0.364g/cm3) and weight of 1.13 kg respectively. This study showed that particleboard made of fine particles (T1) of bamboo at 1.0 mm had better properties than T2and T3 in terms of their mechanical properties and physical properties with the exception of moisture content. It could be proposed that the finer the particles, the higher the strength of the board, thus recommends that smaller particles sizes like 0.5mm, 0.1mm and 0.3mm be used to increase the board strength.

Applicability of the concept of equivalent intergranular void ratio to sand-plastic fines mixtures below threshold fines content

The technical note presents findings of an experimental study on the applicability of equivalent intergranular void ratio e*eq concept in sand-plastic fines mixtures under monotonic and cyclic loading. The results of undrained triaxial tests conducted on mixtures of Hostun sand with varying amounts (0% to 20%) and types of plastic fines (kaolin and calcigel bentonite) were already presented in two previous studies. The e*eq for the mixtures under various initial densities was calculated using the parameter b. Preliminary results show that the concept of e*eq seems to hold valid in the e-p space considering monotonic tests as well as being able to capture the variation of the cyclic resistance ratio for a predefined number of cycles to initial liquefaction from cyclic undrained tests even in mixtures with plastic fines below threshold fines content. However, the need for further studies is duly acknowledged.

Electrochemical remediation of phenol contaminated kaolin under low-strength electric fields

Soil degradation is a global concern. Electrochemical remediation (ER) technology is considered an appealing strategy for soil remediation because it is a low-cost, adaptable, and effective noninvasive in situ technology. Currently, the remediation of soil characterized by fine grains, low-hydraulic permeability, heterogeneous conditions, and mixtures of contaminants is still challenging since other conventional technologies are poorly effective. ER of soil is based on the application of low potentials between a couple of electrodes which induces an electric field (E) in the contaminated field. In this work, very low values of electric field (E≤ 0.25 V cm−1) were used for the ER of contaminated kaolin. Phenol was selected as model hazardous organic compound and kaolin as model, reproducible and low buffering and low permeability clay. The effect of several factors, including the nature of the electrodes, treatment time, kind of current, the strength of the E and the nature of supporting electrolyte, on the performance of the process was investigated in detail and discussed in terms of the normalized phenol concentration and its total removal from the kaolin. Overall, the main finding is that the use of very low value of E (0.15 V cm−1) can allow to simultaneously desorb, mobilize and also in-situ degrade phenol. The highest removals of phenol up to approximately 80% and 90% from the kaolin under both direct and sinusoidal E, respectively, were reached using compact graphite as electrodes in presence of Na2SO4 into the kaolin.

Carrier Flotation Using Coarse Pyrite for Improving the Recovery of Finely Ground Chalcopyrite: Development of Post-Process of Carrier Flotation to Separate Finely Ground Chalcopyrite Particles from Coarse Pyrite Particles

Carrier flotation is a technique that can recover fine particles by using coarse carrier particles during the flotation process. In heterogeneous carrier flotation, coarse mineral particles of different minerals are used as carriers to recover fine mineral particles. By using Cu2+-treated pyrite particles as carriers, fine chalcopyrite particles recovery could be improved. However, a disadvantage of this heterogeneous carrier flotation is that it requires a post-flotation separation process to improve the grade of the final Cu concentrate. This study tested mechanical and chemical treatments to detach finely ground chalcopyrite (D50~3.5 µm) particles from Cu2+-treated coarse pyrite particles (−125 + 106 µm) after flotation. The results showed that the ultrasonic treatment was not effective to detach chalcopyrite fines from Cu2+-treated pyrite particles. However, acid treatment was effective to detach chalcopyrite fines from coarse pyrite particles. At pH 2, approximately 96% of chalcopyrite fines were detached from coarse Cu2+-treated pyrite particles. The acid treatment of flotation froth (mixture of chalcopyrite fines and Cu2+-treated pyrite particles) decomposed the collector KAX (potassium amyl xanthate) and dissolved the Cu precipitates adsorbed on the pyrite surface. This weakened the hydrophobic attraction force between the chalcopyrite fines and coarse pyrite particles, thus promoting the detachment of chalcopyrite fines from Cu2+-treated coarse pyrite particles.

Process Properties of Gas-Atomized and Ground Fine High-Speed Steel Powder Mixtures

Process Properties of Gas-Atomized and Ground Fine High-Speed Steel Powder Mixtures

Metalliferous atmospheric settleable particulate matter action on the fat snook fish (Centropomus parallelus): Metal bioaccumulation, antioxidant responses and histological changes in gills, hepatopancreas and kidneys.

Metallic smoke released by steel industries is constitute by a mixture of fine and gross particles containing metals, including the emerging ones, which sedimentation contaminates soil and aquatic ecosystems and put in risk the resident biota. This study determined the metal/metalloids in the atmospheric settleable particulate matter (SePM, particles >10 μm) from a metallurgical industrial area and evaluated metal bioconcentration, antioxidant responses, oxidative stress, and the histopathology in the gills, hepatopancreas and kidneys of fat snook fish (Centropomus parallelus) exposed to different concentrations of SePM (0.0, 0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 g L−1), for 96 h. From the 27 metals (Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Ba, La, Ce, W, Hg, Pb, Bi) analyzed, 18 were quantified in SePM and dissolved in seawater. Metal bioconcentrations differed among organs; Fe and Zn were the metals most bioconcentrated in all organs, Fe was higher in hepatopancreas and Zn > Fe > Sr > Al was higher in kidneys. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased in the gills; SOD, catalase (CAT) decreased, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) increased in hepatopancreas and, CAT, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and the level of glutathione (GSH) increased in kidneys. The unchanged levels of lipid peroxidation and oxidized protein in any organ indicate that the antioxidant responses were efficient to avoid oxidative stress. Organ lesion indices were higher in the gills > kidneys > hepatopancreas, being higher in fish exposed to 0.01 g L−1 SePM. All changes indicate a tissue-specific metal/metalloids bioconcentration, antioxidant and morphological responses that all together compromise fish health. Regulatory normative are needed to control the emission of these metalliferous PM to preserve the environment and biota.

Damping Ratio of Sand Containing Fine Particles in Cyclic Triaxial Liquefaction Tests

Sand liquefaction triggered by earthquakes is a devastating geological disaster and has emerged as an engaging topic in earthquake engineering. With an enhanced understanding of pure sand liquefaction promoted by laboratory research, there is a growing concern, following filed investigations, over the influence of fine particles on the liquefaction potential of sand containing inclusions. Efforts have been devoted to clarifying the significance of certain physical indicators (e.g., plasticity index, particle shape and gradation characteristics), and fruitful conclusions can be found in the published literature. However, the relationship between the content of fine particles and the cyclic degradation in liquefaction process seems still unclear. To fill this knowledge gap, three sets of cyclic triaxial tests were performed on various sand–fines mixtures with the dry tamping method. The experimental results revealed that (i) fine particles provided a negative contribution to the global soil structure; (ii) however, the damping ratio measured from the obtained stress–strain loops manifested its independence from the fines content during cyclic degradation. In this paper, we propose a shearing mechanism on the microscopic scale to explain the above contrasting observations. For a given soil fabric, the fine particles around sand-to-sand contact points probably break strong force chains, intensifying the threat of liquefaction. By contrast, these fines play the same role in favouring relative sliding between sand grains during both the loading and unloading stages. As the maximum stored energy and the energy loss per cycle are amplified with the same scaling factor, the damping ratio, defined as the ratio between them, should display a macroscopic invariance in triaxial tests.

Microanalysis of TiN phases formed in inclusions of electrogas weld metal

This study has been conducted to confirm the formation of TiN phase in the electrogas (EG) weld metal and, if it formed, to identify the nucleation potency of TiN for acicular ferrite. To facilitate this, a high-nitrogen EG weld meal deposited using a very high heat input was chosen. Inclusion analyses were mostly carried out in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and analytical transmission electron microscope (TEM) equipped with energy dispersive analyzer (EDS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). It was confirmed that the inclusions were nearly fully covered by TiO layer alloyed with a small amount of nitrogen, this TiO layer being partly coated with TiN phases having two different types of morphology: layer-type or patch-type. The layer-type was identified to be nearly pure TiN, being formed with a thickness of 10 nm on the outer surface of thick TiO layer. The patch-type appeared to be formed on the TiN/TiO layer and was characterized by its fine lamellar mixture of TiN and (Al,Mn)-oxide. As all these phases formed on the inclusion surface, they were suspected to influence the nucleation potency of inclusions but the relative potency of these phases to TiO layer was not clearly understood.

Fine phase mixtures in one-dimensional non-convex elastodynamics

We show that fine phase mixtures arise in the initial-boundary value problem for a class of equations of non-convex elastodynamics in one space dimension. Specifically, we prove that there are infinitely many local-in-time Lipschitz weak solutions to such a problem that exhibit immediate fine-scale oscillations of the strain whenever the range of the initial strain has a nonempty intersection with the elliptic regime. Consequently, such solutions are nowhere C1 in the part of the space-time domain with fine phase mixtures, but are smooth in the other part of the domain.

Impact of Laboratory Long-Term Aging Procedures on Intermediate-Temperature Behavior of Asphalt Binders in Asphalt Fine Aggregate Matrix Mixtures

The durability of asphalt mixtures and flexible pavements are closely related to the properties of the asphalt fine aggregate matrix (FAM) with aging. However, there are still no uniform aging procedures specified for laboratory-prepared FAM. In this study, the intermediate-temperature behavior of FAM under various accelerated aging procedures was investigated at the binder scale to reveal the influence of the FAM aging. Three different long-term aging procedures were considered, including loose mixes aging (95°C and 135°C) and pressure aging vessel (PAV) protocols. Frequency sweep test and linear amplitude sweep (LAS) test were carried out on binders extracted from aged FAMs. Rheological tests were also performed on corresponding binders with standard PAV procedure to show the impact of FAM during the aging process. Moreover, an aging kinetics model was put forward to qualify the linear rheological property evolutions for fast and constant aging reaction stages under various aging conditions. The results show that 135°C loose FAM mixes aging significantly reduces the fatigue performance of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified binder, and employing 95°C loose mixes aging and PAV aging procedures can avoid this adverse effect. Moreover, to match the aging degree of asphalt and FAM, an aging duration more than 40 h is recommended.

Evaluating Low-Temperature fracture toughness of steel slag Aggregate-Included asphalt mixture using response surface method

This study is aimed to evaluate the low-temperature (0 to −24 °C) fracture toughness of fine and coarse (0–50 % and 0–100 % inclusion) steel slag aggregate (SSA)-included asphalt mixtures in different Modes (I, II and I/II). To this end, edge-notched disk bend (ENDB) specimens were made and tested under three-point bending in different fracture modes, and response surface method (RSM) was used to evaluate and optimize the low-temperature fracture toughness of fine and coarse SSA-included asphalt mixtures. Results indicated that at temperatures between 0 and −24 °C, to increase the possibility of reaching the maximum fracture toughness, it is better to use a combination of fine and coarse SSAs. Otherwise, the desirability of only inclusion of fine/coarse SSA is significantly lower than simultaneously inclusion of them in terms of fracture toughness. Here, the highest desirability was achieved at 0 % fine SSA, 73 % coarse SSA and 0 and −24 °C.

Large depth to width ratio friction stir welding joint obtained by novel designed tool with double pin

A novel welding tool with a double pin structure was proposed to solve the problem of difficult weld formation with a large depth to width ratio (DWR). Experiments revealed that the novel welding tool could achieve non-defect joints for four common engineering aluminum alloys (2A12-T6/5052-H32/6013-T6/7075-T6), with a DWR of 0.59–0.67. Due to the difference in the direction of material flow between the upper pin and the pin effect, impact slow flow zone was formed in the joint center. The maximum ultimate tensile strength of the 7075-T6 aluminum alloy double pin friction stir welding (DPFSW) joint reached 450.38 MPa, which was 85.8% of the base material. Analysis of the tensile fracture location revealed that the stirring zone of the advancing side and weld nugget zone occurred local blockage, resulting in joint failure. • In this paper, a novel welding tool with a double-pin structure is proposed, and it is demonstrated through experiments that the novel welding tool can achieve defect-free joints with DWR of 0.59–0.67 for four common engineering aluminum alloys. • The DPFSW joint can be divided into seven zones, where the ISFZ is caused by the different flow directions of the upper and lower layers of the DPFSW material, and the interior of this zone consists of a mixture of fine and coarse grains. • The numerical simulation results are consistent with the actual tensile results and the modeling is reasonable. PA and PB are the locations where partial blockage occurs in SZ-AS and UWNZ/DWNZ, which are the weak zones of the joints. • DPFSW joints are greatly influenced by the welding speed. At a welding speed of 100 mm/min, the joint strength was the highest, reaching 450.38 MPa, or 85.8% of BM.

Evaluation of mixture grading and binder composition effects on the characteristics of cold-recycled mixtures with foamed bitumen

The investigation was carried out to evaluate the effects of the hydraulic binder's composition on the properties of cold recycled mixtures with foamed bitumen of different gradations. The evaluated hydraulic binders were composed of Portland cement, hydrated lime and cement by-pass dusts. The ratios of these three components simultaneously varied from 20 to 60% in relation to the mass of the resultant hydraulic binder. The mixtures were composed of reclaimed asphalt from a road base (coarse or fine RAP), natural aggregates (0/2 and 0/31.5 mm) in different ratios, hydraulic binder and 70/100 foamed paving grade bitumen. It was shown that the fine and coarse mixtures responded differently to the changes in the composition of the hydraulic binder. It was found that the optimum performance of the fine and coarse graded mixtures required different binder compositions.

Relationship between particle size distribution and the PFD80 transportable moisture limit of iron ore fines

Since 2011, mineral cargoes shippers shall comply with a regulatory framework established by the United Nation's International Maritime Organization (IMO): the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code. Some wet mineral cargoes, including some types of iron ore fines, may liquefy during ocean transport, i.e., the cargo can shift and lead the vessel to sink. According to the IMSBC Code, for safe shipping, the moisture content of these cargoes shall be lower than a regulatory limit: the Transportable Moisture Limit (TML). Iron ore fines TML can be obtained through the Modified Proctor/Fagerberg Test for Iron Ore Fines (PFD80), a dynamic compaction test which consists in compacting ore samples at different moisture contents, the TML being the moisture content at which the material reaches 80% saturation. TML has become a relevant parameter for the mining industry, firstly due to the crew and ship safety aspect, and because failure to comply with the TML can legally interrupt an ore shipment or even an entire mining/shipping operation. Therefore, knowledge related to the TML and the understanding of how it varies with ore characteristics are essential. Despite that, research works on this topic are still scarce. In this study, the relationship between particle size distribution and the TML of iron ore fines was experimentally investigated. The results have shown that the TML is highly related to the particle size distribution of the tested material, and that the TML variations can be explained by structural packing effects caused by particle interactions during compaction for different types of size distribution. It was also found that the coefficient of uniformity can be used for numerically representing the particle size distribution in order to establish relationships with the TML. Another relevant conclusion is that the TML of a mixture of different iron ore fines may not be the result of the weighted average of the individual components' TML. This knowledge is of utmost importance for the industry, as blends of different ore products are common practice, and this finding is relevant for other cargoes that are susceptible to liquefaction. • The relationship between TML and particle size distribution was investigated. • The PFD80 TML is highly dependent on the particle size distribution. • Structural packing effects explain this relationship. • The coefficient of uniformity is correlated to the TML. • The TML of a mixture may not be the weighted average of the components TMLs.