Mills

Leaflet 603 E
Application
Nowadays grinding mills are almost extensively used for
comminut1on of materials ranging from 5 mm to 40 mm
(3/ 16" -1 5/ 8" ) down to varying product sizes. They have
vast appl ications within di fferent branches of industry such
as for example the ore dressing, cement, lime, porcelain and
chemical industries and can be desi gned for continuous as
well as batch grind1ng.
Rod mills
The principal f ield of rod mil l usage is the preparation of
products in the 5 mm-0.4 mm (4 mesh to 35 mesh) range.
It may sometimes be recommended also for finer grinding.
Within these limits a rod mill is usually superi or to and
more effici ent than a ball mill. The basic principle for rod
grinding is reduction by line contact between rods ex-
tending the full length of the mill , resulting in selective
grinding carried out on the largest particle sizes. This
resul ts in a minimum production of extreme fines or slimes
and more effective grinding work as compared with a
ball mill. One stage rod mill grinding is therefore suitable
for preparation of feed to gravimetri c ore dressing methods,
certain flotat ion processes with sl ime problems and mag-
netic cobbing. Rod mills are frequently used as primary
mil ls to produce suitable feed to the second grinding stage.
Rod mills have usually a length/ diameter ratio of at least 1.4.
Fi g. 1. Rod mill , two-t ire type.
2
Ball mills
Ball mills can be used for coarse grinding as described
for the rod mill. They will , however, in that appl i cation
produce more fines and tramp oversize and will in any
case necessitate installation of e ~ f e c t i v e classification.
If finer grinding is wanted two or three stage grinding is
advisable as for instant primary rod mill with 75-100 mm
(3"-4" ) rods, secondary ballmillwith25-40mm(1"-11j
2
")
balls and possibly tertiary ball mill with 20 mm (3/ 4" ) ball::;
or cylpebs.
To obtain a close size distribution in the fine range the
specific surface of the grinding media should be as hi gh
as possible. Thus as small balls as possible should be
used in each stage.
Tube mills
Tube mills are m principle to be considered as ball mills,
the basic difference being that the length/ diameter ratio is
greater (3- 5) . They are commonly used for surface
cleaning or scrubbing action and f ine grinding in open
circuit.
Pebble mills
In some cases it i s suitable to use screened fract ions of
the materi al as grinding media. Such mills are usually
called pebble mills, but the working principle is the same
as for ball mills. As the power input is approximately
directly proportional to the volume wei ght of the grindi ng
media, the power input for pebble mills is correspondingly
smaller than f or a ball mill.
Wet or dry grinding
A dry process requires usually dry grinding. If the
feed is wet and sticky, it is often necessary to lower
the moisture content below 1 %. Grinding in front of
wet processes can be done wet or dry. In dry grind-
ing the energy consumption is higher, but the wear
of linings and charge is less than for wet grinding,
especially when treating highly abrasive and cor-
rosive material. When comparing the economy of wet
and dry grinding, the different costs for the ent1re
process must be considered.
Method of discharge
Overflow Rod Mill
Recommended for normal wet grinding in rod mills.
The diameter of the discharge trunnion is larger than
that of the feed trunnion giving an easy material
flow through the mill. The discharge trunnion can be
furnished with a trommel screen to remove rod frag-
ments, wooden chips etc. from the mill discharge.
Rod Mill with End Peripheral
Discharge
Used when a moderately coarse product is desired.
Rod Mill with Centre Preripheral
Discharge
Suitable for dry grinding at extremely high capaci-
ties and very coarse grinding, wet or dry. Also
applicable for very viscous material and humidities
of 3-15 % by weight.
Overflow Ball Mill
Suitable for almost all applications where a ball mill
is required. Simple and trouble-free grinding method.
The discharge trunnion can be furnished with trommel
screen.
Grate Discharge Ball Mill
This type of mill usually works with a high circulat-
ing load and thus produces very little extreme fines.
The specific power consumption is therefore less
than for an Overflow Mill. A Grate Discharge Mill
will also have 15-25 % higher capacity per volume
unit as compared with an Overflow Mill. The dis-
charge trunnion can be furnished with trommel
screen.
3
Mill speed
Mill speed is generally referred to as a percentage of critical ,
which is defined as the speed at which an infinitly small par-
ticle just follows a smooth shell lining in its motion.
n, =2.36 X NX lfD,
(n, 1.31 X N lfD,}
where n, is % of critical speed
D; is the mill diameter inside
shell lining in meters {feet) and
N is the mill speed rpm.
An increase in the mill speed will give a directly proportional
increase in mill power but there seems to be a square propor-
ti onal increase in the wear. Rod mills generally operate within
the range of 60-75 % of critical speed in order to avoid ex-
cecclve wear and tangled rods. Bal i and pebble mills are
usually operated at 70-85 % of crit ical speed. For dry grinding
the speed is usually somewhat !ower.
4
Fig. 2. Ball mill, dia. 2.7 X 6 m (9' X 21 ' )
100
90
10
1'0
60
so
30
20
IS
10
Ncrit rpm
.....
/' ~
/'
,
............ /' ......
~ v ....
~ ><
L
.......
1.0
22
/'./
f"': ....
"""
1/ ~
/'
......
!'-....
....... ~
10
Critical speed graph.
N m rp
20 II 16 10 12 10
,
./"
v ./"
....
~
"'
!""--
.......
Ncrtt
.....
~ ~ ~ t e r
1s 20 25 30 D1 feet
Example: A mill with 4.5 m dia (15' ) N ,;, obtained
= 20 rpm.
If N= 15 rpm nc obtained = 75 %.
Lining
The mill lining can be made of rubber or di fferent types of
steel (manganese or Ni-hard) with liner types according to
the customers requirements. For special appl ications we can
also supply porcelain, basalt and other linings.
Fi g. 3. Rubber lining, grate mill.
Charge volume
The mill power is approximately directly proportional to the
charge volume within the normal range. When calculating a
mill 40 % charge volume IS generally used. In pebble and
ball mills quite often charge volumes close to 50 % are
used. In a pebble mil l the pebble consumption ranges from
Sizing of mills
Factors influencmg the m11l size are :
1. Type, hardness and screen analysis of feed
2. Desired product size after grinding
3. Required capacity
In all cases the net energy consumpti on per ton
(kWh/ton) must be known either from previous
experience or laboratory tests before mill size
can be determined. The required mill net power
P kW ( = ton/h X kWh/ton) is obtained from
P= const. X :; X q X n, X L; X Dt
5
where an approximate fi gure for the constant is
3.5 for rod mill s, 4.0 for overflow ball or pebble
mill s and 4.5 for grate discharge ball or pebble
mills.
~ is specific gravity of grinding media (for rods
or balls normally 7.85)
q is the charge volume in fraction of mill volume
(40 %=0.40)
n c is the mill speed in fraction of critical speed
L; and D; are length and diameter inside shell
lining respecti vely (i n meters)
For a mill with more than 2.1 m (7') diameter the
total power is obtained by dividing net power by
0.85.
3-15 % and the charge has to be controlled automati cally
to maintain uniform power consumption.
The volumetric density of a rod and a ball charge is around
4.9 ton/ m
3
(31 0 lb/ cu.ft) corresponding to 37 % void space.
Fig. 4. Rod mill with max1mum rod charge.
5
Construction
Shell of steel plate quality B.S. En. 2 B arch welded, stress
relieved and with machined flanges. If desired the shell
can be provided wi th manholes.
Heads of S.G. iron (nodular) or steel castings with machin-
ed and drilled connection flanges to shell and trunnion.
Trunnions of S.G. iron or steel castings with machined
flange and bearing seat incl. device for dismantling the
bearings. For smaller mills the heads Dnd trunnions are
sometimes made in grey cast iron.
Bearings Dnd housings of SKF anti -friction type or self-
ali gning ball and socket type.
Gearing of spur type in S.G. iron or steel with cut teeth.
Pini on of steel quality B.S. En 43 with cut teeth and flame
hardened to suitable hardness.
Pinion Shaft of quality B.S. En 43, press fitted and key
locked to the pinion and carried in two SKF standard anti-
friction bearings. For bigger mills the pinion shaft is integral
with the pinion.
Speed Reducer with cast iron casing and shafts and gears
of speci al steel carried in anti -frict ion bearings.
Flexible Couplings provided between motor and speed re-
ducer as well as between speed reducer and pinion shaft.
6
Mills for laboratories
and pilot plants
For smaller capacities and laboratory use SALA manufac-
tures grinding mill s with sizes according to the table below.
These mill s are built on a steel frame, on which the
complete drive is also installed. The mill runs on rub-
berized rollers, which are driven via torque arm speed re-
ducers and rope drives from two standard squirrel-cage
motors. The speed reducers are of standard SALA type
running in oi l in dust-tight housings.
fhe mills can be used either for dry or wet, rod or bnll
grinding. By us1ng a separate attachment the discharge
end can be changed so that the mill s can be used for peri-
pheral instead of overflow discharge.
The lining is generally made as a plate of wear resistant
steel with welded on lifters. The heads are bolted onto the
shell which sim;:llifie:s the change of lining.
Fi g. 8. Mill s for pilot tests during assembly
in our workshop.
,,....,..,........,. ..
Fig. 6. Laboratory mill with peripheral discharge.
Fig. 7. Batch mill with water cooling jacket. Made in
stainless steel for grinding of tungsten.
7
H
A
L
T
D B
Arr. 1
L ... ....J,
barrel

.. .,
A
D L
mm
ft
mm ft
I
mm
1320 4'4" 1500--5000 5'-16' 5200- 9000
1500 5' 5'-17' 5500--9400
1800 6' 1800--5400 6'-18' 6200- 9800
2100 7' 21 ()()..-..&QO 7'-21' 6700-10900
2400 8' 2400-7200 8'-24' 7400-12400
2700 9' 2700--8100 9'-27' 7800-13600
3000 10' 3000-8100 10'-27' 6200-13600
3300 11' 3300-8100 11'-27' 8800-13700
3800 12' 3600-8100 12'-27' 9300-13800
3900 13' 3900--8100 13'-27' 9800-14600
4200 14' 4200-8100 14'-27' 10400-15600
4500 15' 4500--8100 15'-27' 1 2400-1 6200
1) Diameters and barrel lengths are manufactured with a
modulus of 300 mm (abt. 1 ') . Tube mills with greater
lengths than shown in the table can be delivered. For
calculations of power input and critical speed the dia-
meter and length should be reduced with the liner
thickness.
SA
SALA INTERNATIONAL AB
S-733 00 Sala Sweden Tel. 0224/132 20
Telegrams: Salamachine Telex 7536
ft
17'--3/J'
18'--31'
20'--32'
22'--36'
24'-.1'
26'-.&'
27'-.s'
28'-.s'
30'-.s'
32'-.&'
34'--51'
41'--53'
Arr. 2 Arr. 3
Arr. 4
"" . ; ...
.,,,

MdP)

Bmex H max
Total
-
Power
I
mm
I
ft
I
mm
I
ft
Hpl)
3500 11 '6" 2900 9'6" 35- 115
3500 11'6" 2900 9'6" 45- 150
4400 14'5" 3200 10'6" 90- 270
4800 15'9" 3500 1 1'6" 170- 510
6000 19'8" 4200 13'9'' 260- 780
6200 20'4" 5100 16'9" 415-1250
9300.)
30'6" 5100 16'9" 610-1650
9300) 30'6" 5100 16'9" 870-2100
9300) 30'6'' 5100 16'9'' 1200-2700
9600) 31'6" 5600 18'5" 1550-3250
10000) 32'10" 6100
20'
2000-3950
10700) 35'1" 6600 21'8" 2500-4500
2) Ball mill grate discharge w1th 40 % charge and speed
75 % of critical. For rod mills with 40 % charge and
60 % of critical multiply power figure by 0.60.
3) Drive motor with m1n. 10 % higher power should be
chosen.
*) Dual dnve as per arr. 4.
All measurements are for preliminary use only.
Sprl ngfeldt/VLT Civil Sweden 1973