Bev,
I can say 30 pcs consecutive products will not represent the range of the product.
We batch around 70-78 times a day. When we do the next batching, we don't empty the bin from the previous batching.
About selecting multiple lots, We should consider material and process environment characteristic, such as sand moisture, temperature during the curing process and temperature on the yard stocking. The variation may become larger and larger.
Splitting the tiles seems to be not good idea since there is a standard dimension for tile. Cutting the tiles may lead to different broken strength value since (may be) the cutting process it self may affected the strength characteristic and also the tile is shorter.
At first, I want to take the first 30 pcs at the beginning of production process in the morning, but now I'm seeking the better method how to choose the sample, need advice on that.
PS:
I don't fully understand about this statement:
"(you may also need to consider what constitutes 'consecutive' if you use a grid fixture...understanding the next level of process details will help with defining what consecutive really means"