LAUSR

Grain size is a fundamental property of earth materials. Many techniques for measuring grain size exist, and elucidating the relationships among the different analysis techniques is valuable for understanding what constitutes grain size. In this study, grain-size distributions obtained through dry-mode digital particle imaging using optical microscopy, laser diffraction (LD), and hydrometer sieving (HS) were compared. For most of the investigated samples, the three methods yielded similar size distributions. When performing dry-mode particle optical imaging (DMPOI) measurements of grain size, we recommend using high dispersion pressure. The grain-size distribution curves of finer sands were shifted toward coarser particles in the DMPOI analysis results, compared to the LD and HS results. In contrast, the grain-size distribution curves of glass beads (irrespective of size) were similarly shaped in all three cases. The fractions of sand and silt sizes were relatively consistent among the three methods, but were smaller in the DMPOI results than in the LD and HS results. The median particle size (8–280 µm) was similar among the three methods. DMPOI yielded a lower standard deviation than the other methods. In the HS analysis of the mica sample (consisting of platy layer particles), the curve was clearly shifted toward finer particles, and the granulometric characteristics differed significantly from those obtained using the other methods. Therefore, the three methods appear to differ mainly in terms of their physical interpretations of “grain size” and the effects of the distribution width and high-sensitivity circularity of the particles.