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SIZE REDUCTION BY CRUSHING METHODS

Technical Report · March 2017

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28195.45606

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 SIZE REDUCTION BY CRUSHING METHODS
By
Prof. A. Balasubramanian
Centre for Advanced Studies in Earth Science,
University of Mysore, Mysore

Objectives:

In the field of extractive metallurgy, mineral dressing is the process of separating commercially
valuable minerals from their ores. There are two major categories of processing. One is comminution
and the other one is separation. The process "Comminution" involves size reduction and size-wise
classification called as screening or separation. The objective of this lesson is to provide the details
of size reduction methods involved in mineral processing using crushing equipments. Crushing is the
first step of mineral processing where the ore/rocks from the mine site is fed into the mechanical
equipment in order to reduce the size of masses for subsequent usage by liberating the valuable
mineral from the gangue.

1.0 Introduction:

Mineral processing can involve four general types of unit operations. They are:
1) comminution – the process of particle size reduction;
2) sizing – separation of particle sizes by screening or classification;
3) concentration by taking advantage of physical and surface chemical properties; and
4) dewatering – solid/liquid separation.

Size Reduction is mainly done through crushers and mills.

Crushing and grinding are the two primary comminution processes.
Crushing is normally carried out on the "run-of-mine" ore.
The grinding process which is normally carried out after crushing, may be conducted on dry or
slurried material.

2.0 The size reduction process:

Minerals being crystals have a tendency to break into endless numbers of sizes and shapes every time
they are introduced to energy. The difficulty in size reduction lays in the art of limiting the number of
over and under sizes produced during the reduction. If this is not controlled, the mineral will follow its
natural crystal behaviour, normally ending up in over-representation of fines.

3.0 Comminution

Comminution is particle size reduction of materials. Comminution may be carried out on either dry
materials or slurries. Crushing and grinding are the two primary comminution processes.
Crushing is normally carried out on "run-of-mine" ore, while grinding (normally carried out after
crushing) may be conducted on dry or slurried material. In comminution, the size reduction of
particles is done by three types of forces: compression, impact and attrition.

3.1 Compression and impact forces are extensively used in crushing operations while attrition is the
dominant force in grinding. The primarily used equipment in crushing are-jaw crushers, gyratory
crushers and cone crushers whereas rod mills and ball mills, closed circuited with a classifier unit, are
generally employed for grinding purposes in a mineral processing plant. Crushing is a dry process
whereas grinding is generally performed wet and hence is more energy intensive.

Crushing is done using mechanical crushers. There are several types of crushers available in
processing.

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All crushers have a limited reduction ratio meaning that size reduction will take place in stages.

3.2 Operation stages:

The operating stages in minerals processing have remained the same for several years. In this, the
hard, abrasive and inhomogeneous mineral crystals are o be treated in special ways in order to extract
maximum value out of each size fraction. The following diagram shows the stages in operation of size
reduction from crushing to upgrading.

3.3 Crushing of rock and minerals:

Crushing is the largest process operation in minerals processing. The goal of this process is to
produce rock or (more seldom) mineral fractions to be used as raw material for other industrial
production. The quality parameters are normally strength, size and shape. There are two kinds of
equipments used for crushing works. one is by using crushers and other one is by using impactors.
This diagram illustrates the stages of size reduction from 1000mm to 4 mm.

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Size reduction of ores is normally done in order to liberate the value minerals from the host rock. This
means that we must reach the liberation size, normally in the interval 100 – 10 micron, see value
curve 1 above.

3.4 Feed material:

All operations in size reduction, both crushing and grinding are of course determined by the feed
characteristics of the minerals (rock/ore) moving into the circuit. The key parameters we need are the
“crushability or grindability”, also called work index and the “wear profile”, called abrasion index.

4.0 Crushing of rock and minerals:

Crushing is the largest process operation in minerals processing. The goal is to produce rock or
(more seldom) mineral fractions to be used as rock fill or ballast material for concrete and asphalt
production. Quality parameters are normally strength, size and shape. The kinds of materials
processed are Limestone, Granite, Gabbro, Basalt, River Stone, Coal Gangue, Quartz, Diabase, Iron
Ore, Copper Ore, Zinc Ore and Manganese Ore.

4.1 The art of crushing:

Crushing means different things for different operations and the production goals are not always
equal. In Mineral dressing, these two approaches are adopted:
1. Crushing of rock and gravel
2. Crushing of ore and minerals.
There are three stages in crushing as stage 1, 2 and 3. In each stage the reduction in size ranges as
referred to as R1,R2 and R3. This diagram illustrates the stages with equipments and reduction ratios.
From 1000mm to 100 micron levels the mass is crushed.

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4.2 Size control:

Neither crushers nor grinding mills are very precise when it comes to the correct sizing of the end
products. The reason is to find partly in the variation of the mineral crystals compounds (hard-soft,
abrasive – non abrasive), partly in the design and performance of the equipment. Size control is the
tool for improvement of the size fractions in the process stages and in the final products. For the
coarser part of the process, screens are used (in practise above 1-2 mm). In the finer part we have to
use classification with spiral classifiers.

5.0 Types of Crushers:

A crusher is a machine designed to reduce large rocks into smaller rocks, gravel, or rock dust.
Crushers may be used to reduce the size, or change the form, of waste materials so they can be more
easily disposed of or recycled, or to reduce the size of a solid mix of raw materials (as in rock ore), so
that pieces of different composition can be differentiated.

Crushing is the process of transferring a force amplified by mechanical advantage through a material
made of molecules that bond together more strongly, and resist deformation more, than those in the
material being crushed do. Crushing devices hold material between two parallel or tangent solid
surfaces, and apply sufficient force to bring the surfaces together to generate enough energy within
the material being crushed so that its molecules separate from (fracturing), or change alignment in
relation to (deformation), each other.

5.1 Jaw crusher

A jaw crusher is generally used as a primary crusher in a crushing circuit. Product is fed into the top
of the jaw crusher by an vibrating grizzly feeder. The eccentric rotating drive shaft causes the
movable jaw to oscillate crushing the aggregate against a fixed jaw. Jaw crushers are run on belt
drives driven by an electric motor or diesel engine. Jaw crushers are used extensively throughout the
aggregate and mineral processing industry.
This diagram illustrates the structure of a jaw crusher.

Operating principle:

Jaw crushers operate according to the principle of pressure crushing. The crushing material is crushed
in the wedge-shaped pit between the fixed crusher jaw and the crusher jaw articulated on an eccentric
shaft.

The material is crushed by the elliptic course of movement and transported downwards. This occurs
until the material is smaller than the set crushing size. The feed cavity of the Jaw Crusher consist of
moveable jaw and fixed jaw, which imitate the movement of the animal’s two jaws to complete the
materials’ crushing .

Jaw Crushers have found their extensive application for the mid crushing of the various ores and
large-size materials block in the field of mining, smelting, building material, highway, railway, water
conservancy and chemical industry, etc

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5.2 Gyratory crusher :

A gyratory crusher is similar in basic concept to a jaw crusher, consisting of a concave surface and a
conical head; both surfaces are typically lined with manganese steel surfaces. The inner cone has a
slight circular movement, but does not rotate; the movement is generated by an eccentric arrangement.
As with the jaw crusher, material travels downward between the two surfaces being progressively
crushed until it is small enough to fall out through the gap between the two surfaces.

The gyratory crushers are robust crushers with modern features. They are designed to give optimal
capacity in primary crushing, increasing the total capacity in the mining crushing process. These
crushers have a large feed opening and a grooved mantle, making them suitable for crushing large
boulders.

This diagram shows the setup of a gyratory crusher.

5
5.3 Cone crusher :

With the rapid development of mining technology, the cone crusher can be divided into four types:
compound cone crusher, spring cone crusher, hydraulic cone crusher and gyratory crusher. According
to different models, the cone crusher is divided into VSC series cone crusher(compound cone
crusher), Symons cone crusher, PY cone crusher, single cylinder hydraulic cone crusher, multi-
cylinder hydraulic cone crusher， gyratory crusher， etc. A cone crusher is similar in operation to a

6
gyratory crusher, with less steepness in the crushing chamber and more of a parallel zone between
crushing zones. This diagram illustrates the anatomy of a cone crusher.

Operating principle

With these crushers the crushing is effected by pressure crushing in an opening and closing crushing
gap between the bowl liner and mantle. The opening and closing are effected simultaneously on the
opposite sides of the crushing chamber. A cone crusher breaks rock by squeezing the rock between
an eccentrically gyrating spindle, which is covered by a wear resistant mantle, and the enclosing
concave hopper, covered by a manganese concave or a bowl liner. As rock enters the top of the cone
crusher, it becomes wedged and squeezed between the mantle and the bowl liner or concave. Large
pieces of ore are broken once, and then fall to a lower position (because they are now smaller) where
they are broken again. This process continues until the pieces are small enough to fall through the
narrow opening at the bottom of the crusher. A cone crusher is suitable for crushing a variety of mid-
hard and above mid-hard ores and rocks.

5.4 Impact crusher:

Impact crushers involve the use of impact rather than pressure to crush material. The material is
contained within a cage, with openings on the bottom, end, or side of the desired size to allow
pulverized material to escape. There are two types of impact crushers: horizontal shaft impactor and
vertical shaft impactor.

Operating principle
In comparison to pressure crushing, the principle used here is impact crushing. In this process, the
crushed material is picked up by a fast moving rotor, greatly accelerated and smashed against an
impact plate ("impact toggle"). From there, it falls back within range of the rotor. The crushed
material is broken again and again until it can pass through the gap between the rotor and impact
toggle. The impact crushers are called as secondary impact crushers and are mainly used in the
second crushing stage. They are suitable for medium-hard to hard stone and gravel for feed sizes up to
250 mm.

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Main use of impact stone crusher :

This kind of impact stone crusher is a kind of high-efficient strong coarse and mid crushing
equipment we company produced .And the anti-pressure is less than 150Mpa and it can replace the
jaw crusher and become the primary cruhsing equipemnt .When the anti-pressure is over the 150Mpa
,it can be used as secondary mid crushing work .We can change the gap between the impact plate and
rotor to change the discharging size and also can be used as the fine crushing work.The most feature
of this series of Impact crusher lies :the final particle size with the cubic shape ,no crack ,fine shape
.And now impact stone crusher has been applied in the field of mines, high-speed railway, highway,
cement, chemicals, construction,etc.

Working Principle of Impact Stone Crusher

This kind of impact stone crusher adopts the impact and centrifugal force to complete the crushing
process .And during the operation ,driven by the motor ,the rotor will proceed a high speed and the
materials will bump into the hammer plate installed on the rotors when the materials enter the impact
cavity ,which will form the first cruhsing .And then the materials will be thrown out to the impact
plate and form the second bump and crushing .Along with the materials’falling down ,they will be
repeatedly thrown out to the first ,second,and third impact plate ,which will form several bumps and
crushing in the impact cavity ,thus achieving the required size and be discharged from the discharge
opening .So that’s the complete crushing process.

Features of Impact Stone Crusher:

1) Large feesing size ,high crushing cavity,wide range of the high-hardness of the materials ,large
sizes and small ratio of the stone powder products.
2) Convenient adjustment to the gap between the impact plate and hammer ,high-efficient control to
the dischaging degree and fine particle size.
3) Compact structure,high rigid and bigger rotating inertia mass of the totor.
4) High chrome of the hammer plate ,anti-shock ,anti-wearing.
5) No key-connection and convenient maintenance ,reliable economy.
6) Comprehensive crushing performance ,high production efficiency .low wearing
consumption,comprehensive benefits.

5.5 Horizontal shaft impactor (HSI) / Hammer mill

The HSI crushers break rock by impacting the rock with hammers that are fixed upon the outer edge
of a spinning rotor. HSI machines are sold in Stationary, trailer mounted and crawler mounted
configurations. HSI's are used in recycling, hard rock and soft materials. In earlier years the practical
use of HSI crushers is limited to soft materials and non abrasive materials, such
as limestone, phosphate, gypsum, weathered shales, however improvements in metallurgy has
changed the application of these machines.

5.6 Vertical shaft impactor (VSI) =VSI crusher:

VSI crushers use a different approach involving a high speed rotor with wear resistant tips and a
crushing chamber designed to 'throw' the rock against. The VSI crushers utilize velocity rather than
surface force as the predominant force to break rock. In its natural state, rock has a jagged and uneven
surface.

6.0 Typical uses of commonly used crushers:

The following table describes typical uses of commonly used crushers:

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 Abrasion Moisture Reduction
Type Hardness Main use
limit content ratio
Heavy mining,
Soft to very Dry to slightly Quarried
Jaw crushers No limit 3/1 to 5/1
hard wet, not sticky materials, sand &
gravel, recycling
Heavy mining,
Gyratory Soft to very Dry to slightly
Abrasive 4/1 to 7/1 Quarried
crushers hard wet, not sticky
materials
Quarried
Medium hard Dry or wet, not
Cone crushers Abrasive 3/1 to 5/1 materials, Sand
to very hard sticky
& gravel
Compound Medium hard Dry or wet, not Mine, Building
Abrasive 3/1 to 5/1
crusher to very hard sticky Materials
Quarried
Horizontal shaft Soft to Slightly Dry or wet, not
10/1 to 25/1 materials, sand &
impactors medium hard abrasive sticky
gravel, recycling
Vertical shaft
Medium hard Slightly Dry or wet, not Sand & gravel,
impactors (shoe 6/1 to 8/1
to very hard abrasive sticky recycling
and anvil)
Vertical shaft Quarried
Soft to very Dry or wet, not
impactors No limit 2/1 to 5/1 materials, sand &
hard sticky
(autogenous) gravel
Dry or wet and
Mineral sizers Hard to soft Abrasive 2/1 to 5/1 Heavy mining
sticky

7.0 Key benefits of size reduction:

The key benefits of size reduction in mineral dressing are the following:

1. increased dissolution rate

2. improved drug delivery
3. cleaning product health & safety
4. controlling the rate of reaction
5. greater density
6. separating Grain Components
7. consistent Product Appearance
8. consistent Texture.
8.0 Conclusion:

When extracting and processing raw materials, the key element is proper preparation – no matter
whether this takes place directly inside the mine complex or at the site where further processing is
carried out. Particle size reduction is carried out in a number of industries, such as chemical,
cosmetic, food and beverage, biotech, pharmaceutical and many others, in order to control the number
and extent of chemical reactions that occur when the end product is used. Crushers are used for the
crushing or medium-hard rock as well as for sticky and soft materials, i.e. lignite and mineral coal,
clay, marl, limestone and similar raw materials as well as for overburden and ores. Sticky and soft
materials are reliably crushed in 2 or 3 stages down to the required product size.

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 Gyratories and jaw type gyratory crushers as an integral part of semi-mobile and stationary processing
plants are used for primary crushing of bulk materials mainly in ore mines and in the natural rock
industry. Today, stationary, semi-mobile and mobile crushing plants with capacities ranging from
500 to more than 10,000 t/h are used proving for crushing and processing hard rock, limestone, coal,
ore, overburden and other minerals in open pit pines and quarries.

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