X-ray tomography was applied to the investigation of the structure of sinter mixture granules. Different components such as ore, concentrate, coke breeze and limestone were identified and their sizes and spatial distribution estimated. Classification of the granule structure by the thickness of the adhering fines layer in a proportion to the whole granule radius has been estimated. Excessive amount of fines (concentrate) in a mixture leads to the increasing presence of granules with an adhering fines layer thicker than a half of the granule radius. Abnormal structures of granules have been observed in some cases such as microgranules embedded in the adhering layer of bigger granules, granules formed as the result of two or more granules coalescence or granules formed without a nucleus particle with a structure similar to pellets.
X-ray tomography has been applied for the estimation of iron ore sinter porosity. Procedures to distinguish open and closed pores and to estimate the volume and the equivalent diameter of each pore were developed, providing the possibility to calculate the amount of porosity considering open and closed pores separately. The effect of the sinter mixture composition on the porosity parameters was investigated, and a comparison with a mercury intrusion measurement is also presented. Reducibility tests were performed for the samples, the porosity of which had been previously identified by tomography. The fact that samples with a premeasured porosity could be analysed with other characterisation methods opens new possibilities to understand the effect of the porosity on the properties of the sinter.
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