Sample assessment
The record covers four different soil samples, without identifying their mineralogy or moisture. Their behavior was explicitly described as different.
Analyst consideration: For soils, reproducible preparation must consider heterogeneous constituents and the elements to be measured, not only sieve passage. Agate contact does not by itself establish acceptable contamination for every analysis.
Recorded objective
Observe sample preparation behavior; no numerical acceptance target was entered.
Equipment and selection
The machine entry is XQM-1. TENCAN Vertical square planetary ball mill is associated at the recorded series level. No exact housing variant is inferred from jar capacity or an abbreviated machine label.
Test setup
| Jar entry | Agate250 |
|---|---|
| Media entry | Agate170g |
| Media-charge notation | Standard charge; individual specification not recorded |
| Sample-load entry | 106 (unit not stated) |
| Controller speed setting | 500 |
| Cycle notation | 5/1 |
Unlabelled jar, media and load numbers remain source notation, not assigned units. Controller settings are not certified rpm. The cycle notation has no independently stated timing unit or reversing definition.
Recorded procedure and results
An agate jar and agate media were recorded, with controller setting 500. The procedure states passage through 100 mesh after five minutes and notes that the four samples were not alike. No individual sample masses, retained fractions or analytical-element recoveries were supplied.
Interpretation
The positive result is the recorded short sieve observation, with material variability preserved. The source does not support identical performance for all soils or validate an analytical soil method simply from the mesh result.
Practical precautions
Keep each soil portion and result separate. Specify sieve standard, moisture and the elements of interest before selecting a repeat charge or interpreting contamination and recovery.
TENCAN alternatives to evaluate
TENCAN Planetary ball mill (semi-circular model). A compatible benchtop preparation can compare the four soil samples with the same agate-contact arrangement. Retain individual five-minute results instead of averaging different soils. A compatible benchtop arrangement can be compared for jar loading and handling of individually tracked soil samples, while retaining the agate-contact specification and separate five-minute checks. This is an untested comparison proposal, not a result of this trial.
Association follows the explicit XQM-1 source entry; only recorded tested series/configurations are related. No jar-volume inference.
About this trial
TENCAN laboratory trial, 2017–2020. Observations above come from this experimental record; selection considerations and proposed comparisons are engineering interpretation. Results apply to this sample and recorded conditions.