ABSTRACT
Solid blending processes are used during the manufacture of products for a wide range of
industries. On a daily basis, individuals encounter and use a wide array of blends of
granular and powder materials. The shelves of grocery stores are stocked with numerous
products consisting of powder blends (cake mix, flavor packets for quick meals, and
instant beverages). Vitamins and minerals are blended with grains during the manufacture
of breakfast cereals. Powdered laundry and dish detergents, cleansers, and other house-
hold cleaning products contain components that are blended to achieve optimal cleaning
performance. The construction industry relies on powder blends during the preparation of
mortar and cement products. The agriculture industry uses blends of nitrogen, phos-
phorus, and potassium salts for the preparation of fertilizers. The diversity of materials
that may be blended, as demonstrated by the previous examples, present a number of
variables that must be addressed to achieve products of acceptable uniformity. These
variables include particle size distribution (including aggregates or lumps of material),
shape (spheres, rods, cubes, plates, and irregular), the presence of moisture (or other
volatile compounds), and the surface properties of the material (roughness, cohesivity).
Although the quality of the product is dependent on the adequacy of the blend in each of
the above examples, the consequences of not obtaining uniform blends range from minor
(a bad tasting meal) to catastrophic (structural collapse due to the incomplete mixing of
construction materials).
