Boots – shoes – and leggings
Patent
1984-12-26
1987-10-20
Smith, Jerry
Boots, shoes, and leggings
364498, 364502, 201 1, 201 4, G01N 2135, G01N 3324
Patent
active
047018380
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the characterizing of a multi-component substance, for facilitating assessment of the utility of the substance, and to the handling of such substances in bulk form.
By "multi-component substance" is meant herein those substances which have more than one molecular species and have properties determined by the sum of constituent components, such as chemical and structural components. In this context, different crystal structures of the same molecule constitute distinct molecular species. Typically, the relative proportions of the components would vary and indeed the substance to be characterized, and perhaps handled, would normally be one member of a large set of multi-component substances having identifiable common properties and a generic name, conveniently referred to herein as a "class", for example coal, shale, oil, soil, ores of specific metals, plant or animal tissues, glass, rubber, plastics, paints, pharmaceuticals and specific classes of foodstuffs.
For purposes of explanation, the application of the invention to the analysis of coal, utilizing Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic measurements, will be described in some detail but it is to be understood that the invention has much wider significance both as regards the class of substance analysed and the technique of measurement
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
The characterization of a multi-component substance, for facilitating assessment of the utility of the substance or for handling of the substance (e.g. by way of blend control or sorting), is typically by reference to the values of a number of parameters selected in accordance with the intended utility. To date, it has been necessary to apply a wide range of analytical or other techniques to determine the values of the selected parameters For example, in the case of coal, where exact characterization has become essential to ensure tight control over raw materials for highly sensitive end-use processes, it is necessary by separate experiment to determine the carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur contents and the volatile components of the organic material in the coal, as well as the inorganic constituents which make up the mineral matter or ash of the coal. Moreover, physical properties such as the specific energy of the coal, the reflectance of the vitrinite components, and the grindability of the coal are each normally determined by separate techniques. As a result, the full characterization of a coal sample for the purpose of quality control or blend control, or for determining its suitability for a particular process, has traditionally required several instrumental techniques and several samples to be treated by these techniques, as well as a significant number of well trained staff to operate each of the different techniques. Furthermore, the time taken to determine the value of each selected parameter is significant and can often extend over at least several days.
By way of further example in the case of metal ores, the determination of the battery activity of manganese ore, necessary because only ore exhibiting high battery activity is suitable for certain applications, presently requires the manufacture and discharge of a small sample battery: a task which takes at least 24 hours per sample.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an objective of the invention to provide a method by which a multi-component substance may be characterized, for facilitating assessment of the utility of the substance and/or handling of the substance, in a manner which obviates the need for multiple analytical techniques in relation to the respective parameters.
In one aspect, the invention entails a novel extension of the techniques of factor analysis, with surprising effects in terms of correlation and predictability. In accordance with the invention, the factor loadings, obtained by factor analysis of a large set of data points obtained from measurements on multiple standard samples, are correlated directly with known values of selected param
REFERENCES:
patent: 4370201 (1983-01-01), Lowenhaupt
Fredericks Peter M.
Osborn Paul R.
Swinkels Dominicus A.
MacDonald Allen
Smith Jerry
The Broken Hill Proprietary Co., Ltd.
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