This invention relates to a sampling device. The device includes an elongate separating member having a sampling side and a non-sampling side. One or more through openings extend from the sampling side to the non-sampling side of the elongate member. The separating member is adapted for insertion into a reservoir of particulate material so as to define a sampling zone and a non-sampling zone within the reservoir. A shaft is positioned away from the sampling side and operably associated with the separating member, wherein the shaft is selectively rotatable about its longitudinal axis. One or more sample capturing scoops are attached to the shaft so as to be aligned with a respective opening. The or each scoop has a leading edge, a trailing edge and a cavity for receiving a sample of particulate material. The device is configured such that rotation of the shaft about its longitudinal axis causes a corresponding rotation of the or each scoop between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the leading edge of the associated scoop is located within the respective opening such that the opening is effectively closed and the remainder of the scoop projects away from the sampling side such that the sampling side of the separating member is free of protuberances during insertion into the reservoir. In the second position, the scoop is positioned on the sampling side and the leading edge of the associated scoop bears against the sampling side of the elongate member, thereby to enclose the sample of particulate material by the rotation of the scoop towards the second position.

An evaluation method of mixing uniformity of composite powder includes: determining raw materials of composite powder to be evaluated and mass ratio; mixing to obtain multiple standard composite powder with different mixing time; determining flow energy of each standard composite powder; analyzing the flow energy of multiple standard composite powders by significant difference method, determining at least 3 consecutive standard composite powders with no significant difference in flow energy according to mixing time from small to large, defining as uniform-mixed standard composite powder, calculating average value of flow energy of uniform-mixed standard composite powder, and recording as standard flow energy TFE.sub.s; determining the flow energy of composite powder to be evaluated, calculating percentage difference P.Math.V.sub.ds between TFE.sub.d and TFE.sub.s, and evaluating mixing uniformity of composite powder according to P.Math.V.sub.ds.

Disclosed herein are green bodies comprising at least one ceramic-forming powder; at least one binder; and at least one cross-linked starch present in an amount of at least about 20% by weight as a super addition. Further disclosed herein is a method of making a porous ceramic body comprising mixing at least one ceramic-forming powder, at least one solvent such as water, at least one binder, and at least one cross-linked starch present in an amount of about 20% by weight as a super addition to form a batch composition; extruding the batch composition to form a green body; drying the green body; and firing the green body to form a porous ceramic body. Also disclosed herein are methods of screening a green body for making a porous ceramic body.

A method of determining the spatial orientation of a two-dimensional detector in an X-ray diffractometry system, and calibrating the detector position in response thereto, uses diffraction patterns from a powder sample collected at a plurality of detector swing angles. The overlapping of the detected patterns indicates relative errors in the detector orientation. In particular, intersection points between the different diffraction patterns may be located, and their relative locations may be used to identify errors. Such errors may be in the detector position, or they may be errors in different rotational directions, such as roll, pitch or yaw. Determination and correction of the detector orientation using this method may be part of a calibration routine for the diffractometry system. Roll error may also be determined using a single measurement with the detector at a swing angle perpendicular to the X-ray beam.

A method for measuring the relative dielectric constant of powder in a powder-dispersed composite material. A composite material is assumed as a cell combination in which unit cells having the same length a in each of an x-axis direction, a y-axis direction, and a z-axis direction are combined together and which has a length l in the x-axis direction, a length m in the y-axis direction, and a length n in the z-axis direction, each of the unit cells of the cell combination is considered to be constituted by a single powder element or a single medium element, the cell combination is created in which the powder element or the medium element is assigned to each of the unit cells in consideration of the number-based median particle diameter D.sub.50, the maximum diameter D.sub.max, the minimum diameter D.sub.min, and the geometric standard deviation .sub.g.

A system for identifying or distinguishing materials, comprising at least one local apparatus and a central station. Each local apparatus comprises at least one measuring device for recording at least one actual signature for materials each and at least one local computer communicatively connected to the at least one measuring device, the at least one local computer having a local database for storing and/or processing the actual signature. The at least one central station comprises a server having a central database for storing and/or processing the actual signatures of the local apparatus. Furthermore, the system comprises a network, which communicatively connects the local computers of the local units via the server of the center. The invention further relates to a corresponding method for operating a system, to an analysis method for identifying or distinguishing the materials, and to a measuring device for recording material properties of the materials.