A Term Used In The Mining Sand Industry

Want to learn more about the mining industry? This article provides a glossary of common terms for your reference.

1. Silica Sand

Silica sand, also known as silica or quartz sand, is a refractory particle primarily composed of quartz with a particle size ranging from 0.020mm to 3.350mm. Depending on the mining and processing methods employed, it is categorized into artificial silica sand and natural silica sand, such as washed sand, scrubbed sand, and selected (flotation) sand.

2. Aggregate

Aggregate consists of granular loose materials, such as rock particles, that serve as skeletons in concrete, providing filling and volume stabilization. Based on particle size, aggregates are classified into coarse aggregate and fine aggregate.

3. Natural Sand

Natural sand refers to rock particles with a nominal diameter of less than 5.00mm formed under natural conditions. According to their source of production, they can be divided into river sand, lake sand, sea sand, and mountain sand.

4. Artificial Sand

Artificial sand comprises rock particles with a nominal diameter of less than 5.00mm, produced by excavating, mechanically crushing, and sieving rocks, pebbles, mine tailings, or industrial wastes.

5. Mixed Sand

Mixed sand is composed of natural sand and artificial sand blended in specific proportions.

6. Crushed Stone

Crushed stone refers to rock particles with a nominal particle size greater than 5.00mm, obtained through the crushing and screening of natural rocks or pebbles.

7. Flaky Particles in Artificial Sand

The smallest one-dimensional dimension of artificial sand particles with a particle size of 1.18mm or larger is less than 0.45 times the average particle size of the corresponding fraction.

8. Fineness Modulus

An index used to measure the coarseness or fineness of sand.

9. Dust Content

The content of aggregate particles with a nominal particle size smaller than 80μm, including clay, silt, and fines.

10. Crusher Dust Content

Particles in artificial sand with a nominal particle size smaller than 0.08mm, having the same mineral composition as the parent rock from which they were processed.

11. Soundness

The ability of an aggregate to resist disintegration under the action of natural weathering or other physical and chemical factors.

12. Light Materials

Substances present in sand with an apparent density of less than 2000kg/m³.

13. Elongated and Flaky Particles

Rock particles with a length exceeding 2.4 times the average particle size of their respective size class are classified as needle-shaped. Those with a thickness less than 0.4 times the average particle size are considered flaky particles. The average particle size is defined as the mean value between the upper and lower limits of the particle size range.

14. Crushing Value Index

The resistance of artificial sand, gravel, or pebbles to crushing forces.

15. Alkali-Aggregate Reaction

A slow chemical reaction occurring in humid environments between alkalis in hardened concrete and alkali-active minerals within the aggregate, leading to concrete expansion, cracking, or even structural failure.

16. Alkali-Active Aggregate

Aggregates that, under specific conditions, undergo chemical reactions with alkalis in concrete, resulting in expansion, cracking, or potential destruction of the concrete structure.

17. Fluidity Ratio of Rock Fines

Under conditions involving admixtures and a water-binder ratio of 0.4, this index measures the fluidity ratio of cement mortar containing stone powder relative to reference cement mortar. It serves to evaluate the adsorption performance of stone powder for water-reducing agents.