Particle morphology: from visualisation to measurement

The main steps of characterisation of particle morphology by image analysis , i.e., visualisation, image treatment, shape quantification, for routine u se in powder technology are reviewed and illustrated by examples. Macroscal e and mesoscale bidimensional descriptors are presented, depending upon the desired level of detail. Elements for a quantification of the 3D shape are given, stressing out the special case of faceted particles. The difficulti es of comparing the size measurements by image analysis with those obtained by other methods (laser diffraction granulometers, sieving) are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.