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INDEX
SR. NO. CONTENT PAGE NO.
1. INTRODUCTION 2–4
2. ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS 5
3. DESIGN 6–8
4. CHARACTERISTIC ASSESSMENTS 9 – 11
5. CALCULATIONS 12 – 14
6. PRECAUTIONS 15
7. DIMENSSIONS FOR FOUNDATION 16

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INTRODUCTION:
Vibrating screens are constructed from Mild Steel plate with perforated/ woven
screen, supported on heavy duty springs at its legs and is driven by eccentric shaft.
Separate discharge chute is provided for each deck of screen. Feed hopper at one of the
ends. Unit is supplied complete with 1 HP motor and belts.

High frequency vibrating screens are the most important screening machines
primarily utilized in the mineral processing industry. They are used to separate feeds
containing solid and crushed ores down to approximately 200μm in size, and are
applicable to both perfectly wetted and dried feed. The frequency of the screen is
mainly controlled by an electromagnetic vibrator which is mounted above and directly
connected to the screening surface. Its high frequency characteristics differentiates it
from a normal vibrating screen. The high frequency vibrating screens usually operates at
an inclined angle, traditionally varying between 0 to 25 degrees and can go up to a
maximum of 45 degrees. Besides, it should operate at a low stroke and has a frequency
ranging from 1500 - 7200 RPM.

Pre-treatment of the feed is often required before the use of the high frequency
screen as the apertures in the screen may become blocked easily.

VIBRATING SCREEN WORKING PRINCIPLE:

The simplest vibrating screen principle can be explained using the single deck
screen and put it in to an inclined frame. The frame is mounted on springs. The vibration
is generated from an unbalanced fly wheel. A very erratic motion is developed when the
wheel is rotated. You will find these simple screens in smaller operations and rock
quarries where sizing isn’t as critical. As the performance of this type of screen isn’t
good enough to meet the requirements of most mining operations two variations of this
screen has been developed.

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A screening machine consist of a drive that induces vibration, a screen media

that causes particle separation, and a deck which holds the screen media and the drive
and is the mode of transport for the vibration.

There are physical factors that makes screening practical. For example,
vibration, g force, bed density, and material shape all facilitate the rate or
cut. Electrostatic forces can also hinder screening efficiency in way of water attraction
causing sticking or plugging, or very dry material generate a charge that causes it to
attract to the screen itself.

As with any industrial process there is a group of terms that identify and define
what screening is. Terms like blinding, contamination, frequency, amplitude, and others
describe the basic characteristics of screening, and those characteristics in turn shape
the overall method of dry or wet screening.

In addition, the way a deck is vibrated differentiates screens. Different types of

motion have their advantages and disadvantages. In addition, media types also have
their different properties that lead to advantages and disadvantages.

Finally, there are issues and problems associated with screening. Screen tearing,
contamination, blinding, and dampening all affect screening efficiency.

RANGE OF APPLICATION:
High frequency screens have become more standardized and widely adopted in
materials classification processes. It allows efficient cuts and fine separations, which can
provide high purity and precise sizing control of the product (for sizes of fine particles up
to 0.074-1.5mm).[1] Common industrial applications include dewatering of materials,
processing of powder in coal, metallurgy, ores and minerals, wood pelleting,
fractionated reclaimed asphalt pavement, food, pharmaceutical and chemical industry.
Fineness of the products and system capacities varies over a huge range between
different models, to satisfy individual application requirements.

Fractionated reclaimed asphalt pavement

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Most commonly, high frequency screens are used to separate "reclaimed"

asphalt pavement (RAP) into multiple sizes and fractions, which allow producers to take
full advantage of the recycled materials. RAP is a recycle material that is reused in new
pavement construction; any recycled products are worth as much as what they
replace. As compared to conventional screening methods which are limited to
producing unacceptable sizes in the products, high frequency screens can produce more
efficient sizing to obtain a finer product. Another advantage of using high frequency
screens to recycle the reclaimed materials is the available aggregate and oil that can be
reused, and reducing the amount of new material required. Therefore, the capital cost
for the process is lowered while maintaining a high quality of the asphalt mixture.
Moreover, high frequency screen applies intensive vibration directly onto the screen
media, such high RPM allows asphalt pavement material to achieve a
higher stratification and separate at a faster rate.

MINERAL PROCESSING

In mineral processing such as ferrous metals ore (e.g. iron, tin, tungsten,
tantalum etc.) and nonferrous metals ores (e.g. lead, zinc, gold, silver and industrial
sand etc.), high frequency screens have a crucial role. After the ores get comminuted,
high frequency screens such as Sepro-Sizetec Screens are used as a classifier which
selects materials size that is small enough to enter the next stage for recovery. For
example, the closed grinding circuit (e.g. recirculating network with ball mill). Firstly, it
screens out the coarse particles and recirculates them back to the grinding mill machine.
Then, the fine grain material will be unloaded timely, avoiding over crushing caused by
re-grinding.[4] The benefits of using high frequency screens in mineral processing can
meet the requirement of fineness easily for recovery and is able to achieve a smaller
size separation, reducing capacity needed for comminution stage and overall energy
consumption. Hence, improving the grade of the final product and providing a better
recovery and screening efficiency.

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ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS:

The high frequency vibrating screens achieves a high efficiency of separation and
differs from its counterparts since it breaks down the surface tension between particles.
Also, the high level of RPMs contributes to increasing the stratification of material so
they separate at a much higher rate. Separation cannot take place without stratification.
Furthermore, since the screen vibrates vertically, there is a ‘popcorn effect’ whereby the
coarser particles are lifted higher and finer particles stay closer to the screen, thus
increases the probability of separation. In some high frequency vibrating screens, the
flow rate of the feed can be controlled, this is proportional to the ‘popcorn effect’; if the
flow rate lowers, the effect is also decreased. Limitations of the high frequency vibrating
screen are that the fine screens are very fragile and are susceptible to becoming blocked
very easily. Over time the separation efficiency will drop and the screen will need to be
replaced.

An alternative to the high frequency vibrating screens is the rotary sifter. A

rotary sifter uses a screen which rotates in a circular motion and the finer particles are
sifted through the apertures. It is also generally used for finger separations; between
12mm to 45μm particle size. The rotary sifter will usually be chosen based on the nature
of the substance being separated; whey, yeast bread mix, cheese powder, fertilizers.
The rotary sifter is often preferred in the non-metallurgical industry and operates in a
way to achieve a dust and noise free environment. The limitation for the rotary sifter is
that it cannot handle a high capacity compared to the high frequency vibrating screen.

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Both equipment, however, achieve a high screening efficiency.

AVAILABLE DESIGNS:
Conventional and general design for a high frequency vibrating screen consists of
mainframe, screen web, eccentric bock, electric motor, rub spring and coupler. The two
most common types of vibrators which induce the high frequency vibrations are
hydraulic or electric vibrators, these electric vibrators are either electric motors or
solenoids. Common designs for screening decks are either single or double deck. In
addition, another feature of high frequency vibrating screen are the static side plates
which provide benefits such as smaller support structure, less noise, longer life, and
hence less maintenance. In industry, the screens are operated at a tiled angle up till 40
º. The high frequency (1500 – 7200 rpm) and low amplitude (1.2 – 2.0 mm)
characteristics leads to the vertical-elliptical movement that rapidly transports oversized
particles down the screen. Creating a thin bed of particles, this improves the efficiency
and capacity of the screen.

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THE MOVEMENT PATTERN OF A PARTICLE DOWN A VIBRATING SCREEN.

Stationary screens are typically used in plants and not moved around. In the
mineral processing industry, equipment often has to be moved to different sites
depending on the jobs taken up by a company. Mobile screens thus are another viable
design for companies who have to move their equipment often. These include wheel-
mounted and track-mounted plants which allow for easy transportation and movement
of the screens. Typical mobile screen designs are shown in the diagrams on left.

MAIN PROCESS CHARACTERISTICS:

The screening performance is affected significantly by various factors such as
equipment capacity and angle of inclination, in which the performance can be measured
by screening efficiency and flux of the product.

Flux is defined as the amount of a desired component (undersize material) that

has carried over the screening media from the feed per time per unit area. Screening
efficiency is expressed as the ratio of the amount of material that actually passes
through the aperture, divided by the amount in the feed that theoretically should pass.
Commercially perfect screening is considered to be 95% efficient if the process is
operated with appropriate feed concentration and size particles. Generally, a suitable
particle size difference between sieving and feed should be no more than 30%. High
screening efficiency can reduce the qualified gain content in cyclic loading and screening
and thus increasing the processing capacity of the mill.

The equipment capacity is almost directly proportional to screen width. This

means that by increasing the length, there will be additional chances for passage, and
will usually lead to increase in transmission and efficiency. In general, the standard size

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of screen length should be two to three times the width. However, certain special
situations such as restricted space may require a different design.

Angle of inclination can be designed based on the desired mineral grain. For
example, wet sieving angle is generally around 25 ± 2 ° for concentrator. Increasing the
slope of a screen will effectively reduce the aperture by the cosine of the angle of
inclination. At the same time, the materials also move across the screen faster which
leads to more rapid stratification. However, the performance tends to decrease after a
certain point since the slope of the deck is too high and most particles will remain on
the oversized stream instead of passing through the aperture, thus, lower flux is yielded.

Table below presents relationship between inclined angle with desired product
flux and efficiency.

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CHARACTERISTICS ASSESSMENT:
SCREEN MOVEMENT:
The purpose of the vibrating screen is that particles are introduced to the gaps in
the screens repeatedly. The frequency of the screen must be high enough so that it
prevents the particles from blocking the apertures and the maximum height of the
particle trajectory should occur when the screen surface is at its lowest point. Based on
the principle, there is an optimum frequency and amplitude of vibration.

Transmission refers to the fraction of desired particle that passes through the
apertures in the screen. At low frequency, screening efficiency is high but blinding is
severe. Blinding will decrease as frequency increases but the particles will have difficulty
going through the apertures. When designing a high frequency vibrating screen, an
optimum point of frequency and amplitude must be chosen, depending on the specific
applications.

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SEPARATION EFFICIENCY:
The separation efficiency is simply a measure of the amount of material removed
by the screen compared to the theoretical amount that should have been removed.
Screen efficiency can be obtained using different equation, which depends on whether
the desired product is the oversize or undersize fraction from the screen.

The screen efficiency based on the oversize (Eo) is given by:

Eo = Qms (o) (1 – Mu (o))

Qms (f) ( 1 – Mu (f))

The screen efficiency based on the undersize (Eu) is then given by:

Eu = Qms (u) Mu (u)

Qms (f) Mu (f)
Where Qms(o) is the mass flow rate of solid in the screen overflow, Qms(f) is the
mass flow rate of solid feed, Qms(u) is the mass flow rate of solid in the screen
underflow, Mu(o) is the mass fraction of undersize in the overflow,
Mu(f) is the mass fraction of undersize in the feed, M u(u) is the mass fraction of
undersize in the underflow.

The overall efficiency (E) is given by:

E = Eo Eu

POSSIBLE HEURISTICS TO BE USED DURING DESIGN OF THE PROCESS:

In the process of sizing minerals there are often rules of thumbs that need to be
followed in order to achieve maximum efficiency in the separation.

SCREEN SELECTION:
The selection on the screen type will be based on the materials that the
equipment will be used to process. A significant problem occurs with screens because if

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the screen is not suitable for the material fed to the screen, the materials will blind the
apertures and regular maintenance will be required. Different types of screens have
been developed to counter this problem. An example is the "self-cleaning" wire; these
wires are free to vibrate and so resistance to blinding will increase. The particles will be
shaken off the wires and apertures. However, there will be a trade-off with screening
efficiency.

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CALCULATION:
Qms (f) = Mass flow rate of solid feed.
Qms (o) = Mass flow rate of solid in the screen overflow.
Qms (u) = Mass flow rate of solid in the screen underflow.
Mu (f) = Mass fraction of undersize in the feed.
Mu (o) = Mass fraction of undersize in the overflow.
Mu (u) = Mass fraction of undersize in the underflow.
The screen efficiency based on the oversize (Eo) is then given by the equation:

Qms (o) * [1 – Mu (o)]

Eo = ------------------------------- (Equation1)
Qms (f) * [1 – Mu (f)]
and the screen efficiency based on the undersize (Eu) is then given by;

Qms (u) * Mu (u)

Eu = ------------------------------- (Equation2)
Qms (f) * Mu (f)

Overall screen efficiency is then calculated by multiplying these two

efficiencies together i.e.:

E = Eo * Eu (Equation 3)

In your case the following values are given:

• Qms (f) = 2900 t/d

• Qms (o) = 2412 t/d
• Qms (u) = 488 t/d
• Mu (o) = 8% = 0.08
• Mu (u) = 94% = 0.94

(Where oversize = +30mm fraction and undersize = -30mm fraction.)

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However, we need to also know the mass fraction of undersize in the feed, Mu(f). This
can be calculated from the values already given by a simple mass balance based on the
undersize, i.e.:

Mu (f) * Qms (f) = Mu (o) * Qms (o) + Mu (u) * Qms (u)

or...

Mu (o) * Qms (o) + Mu (u) * Qms (u)

Mu(f) = --------------------------------------------------
Qms (f)
therefore,

Mu(f) = [(0.08*2412) + (0.94*488)]

2900
= (192.96+458.72)
2900
= 651.58
2900
= 0.2247

So now we can calculate your screen efficiency based on oversize (+30 mm), according
to Equation 1:

Eo = 2412 * (1 – 0.08)
2900 * (1 – 0.2247)
= 2412 * 0.92
2900 * 0.7753
= 2219
2248.4
= 0.987
= 98.7%

Similarly, using Equation 2, we can calculate the screen efficiency based on undersize
(-30mm):
Eu = 488*0.94
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2900 * 0.2247
= 458.72
651.53
= 0.704
= 70.4 %

Therefore, using Equation 3 we can calculate the overall efficiency of your screen based
on the given data:

E = 98.7 * 70.4 = 69.5%

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PRECAUTIONS:
• Do proper foundation for smooth operation.
• Do oiling/greasing if necessary.
• Condition of screening media (Check damage / wear of media cloth /
module plates. Check apertures blockage due to plugging and
blinding.)
• Condition of springs (Check physical condition / damage due to wear,
corrosion, cracks etc. Clear away dust and large particles / stones
from the base of the springs so that springs are free to compress &
expand freely.)
• Bolts joints (Visual inspection for tightness)

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VIBRATING SCREEN EXPERIMENTAL MANUAL