An Investigation on the Occurrence of Abnormal Value in the Fluorescent X-Ray Analysis of Iron in Iron Ore

Analytical samples of thirty five sorts of iron ore were prepared by dry and wet crushing methods. Abnormal large values in the analysis of iron were obtained in the following cases: (a) Hematite in the analytical sample made from microcrystalline hematite ore was concentrated in size of below two microns fraction. (b) Goethite in weathered iron ore was preferentially pulverized to the size of below about 0.5 micron. (c) Hard and large crystalline quartz accompanied with iron ore, being not finely pulverized, was gathered in the range of coarse particle of the sample. While, the small value of iron was obtained in the analysis of hard and coarse grained magnetite ore. The occurrence of the abnormal value was considered due to discrepancies in size distributions of powder particles of constituent minerals.Simillar tendencies were also shown in the analysis of fine powder samples prepared by a wet crushing method.