A sieve shaker should achieve sieving adequacy within a reasonable time, approximately 10 minutes.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not specified
• D. Depends on material

Answer: (A)

In sieve analysis, the shaker’s job is to move and sort the sample until the particle distribution on all sieves has stabilized. Using a practical, standardized duration—about ten minutes—helps ensure the material has enough time to separate properly without being subjected to excessive shaking that could degrade or over-classify the sample. This time frame supports repeatable, comparable results across tests and operators. If the shaking is too short, you may not achieve complete separation; if it runs too long, you risk altering the material and skewing the results. Therefore, the commonly used target of roughly ten minutes reflects standard lab practice for obtaining reliable sieve analysis in a reasonable time.