The fine part of the large sediment sample
from a gravel bed consists of fine gravel and sand, and might
weigh 10-20 kg. This is considerably more sediment than is
needed for a representative particle-size analysis of this
size range. It is useful to split the sample before sieving
with a riffle splitter. A riffle splitter consists of a hopper
under which a series of up to about 10 equally sized
compartments is located. The bottom outlets of the
compartments are alternately directed to the left or the right
side of the splitter. This process splits the sample in half.
The sediment to be split in a splitter must be dry, otherwise,
fine particles may cling to the compartment walls and produce
subsamples with less fines than the original sample.
The riffle splitter comes with three different riffle chute
widths and is made of aluminum although a stainless steel
model can be specified.
502-210 Riffle
Splitter 1/16" (1.6 mm) 1 lb.
502-211 Riffle
Splitter 1/8" (3.2 mm) 2.2 lbs.
502-212 Riffle
Splitter 1/4" (6.4 mm) 5.2 lbs.
