Probability models for liberation

Abstract

An index lying between 0 and 1 is presented to describe the degree of liberation (or separation) of one component of a particulate material. It is shown how the index is related to the covariance function of the material, the distribution of shapes and sizes of the particles and to the interaction between fracture surfaces and the structure of the material. The variation of the index with the extent of crushing is investigated, together with the problem of stereological estimation. The index is evaluated for some particular probability models.