74 Part. Charact.

I (1984) 74-77

Comminution of Irregularly Shaped Particles by Slow Compression:

Interpretation of the Size Distributions of Progeny Particles
as Mixed Distributions
Jens Hanisch and Heinrich Schubert *
(Received: 8 May 1984)

Abstract
The evalualion of particle size distributions of comminution pro-
ducts often shows that the experimental distributions cannot be
represented by one of the well-known functions (GGS, RRSB,
log-normal distributions). Although in some cases a more or less
satisfactory approximation to one of these functionscan bemade,
a physically meaningful interpretation is generally impossible.
Using the frequency curve, it can often be shown that mixed dis-
tributions, represented by several statistical assemblies, do exist.
In this paper the progeny size distributions of quartzite formed
by slow compression comminution of single grains and particle
beds as well as of the comminution products of a roller mill are
interpreted as superpositions of several statistical assemblies each
of which can be represented by a truncated log-normal distribu-
tion.

1 Introduction

In few cases only, the progeny size distributions of broken mate-

rials can be described by one of the well-known distribution
formulae (Gates-Gaudin-Schuhmann, Rosin-Rammler-Sper-
ling-Bennett, log-probability). With the aid of a plot or of a
computer program [I], it is possible to examine whether an expe-
rimentally obtained size distribution can be represented
approximately by one of these formulae. Thus, the progeny size
distribution of spheres after single grain comminution can be
described by a truncated (three parameter) log-normal distri-
bution with an upper limit [2, 31. However, it is impossible to
represent the progeny size distributions of irregularly shaped
initial particles - both after single grain comminution and after
comminution of particle beds - by only one truncated log- 10-2 2 5 lo-’ 2 5 too 2 5
normal distribution [4, 81. Obviously, the shape of the initial d in rnrn
particles strongly influences the size distribution of the broken Fig. 1: Progeny size distribution F(d) andf(d) of quartzite (initial sire
material. Thus, for instance the cumulative size distribution range 2.5 - 3.15 mm) comminuted in a particle bed by slow compression
F3(d)** of the progeny particles of broken quartzite of the initial (log-probability coordinate system).
size range 2.5 - 3.15 mm, which is plotted in Fig. 1, shows two
points of inflexion. An analysis of the frequency curve reveals a
mixed distribution formed in this case from three constituent 2 Graphic-Numerical Resolution of Mixed
assemblies. With a graphic-numerical method, such mixed distri- Distributions into Constituent Assemblies
butions can be resolved into several truncated (three-parameter)
log-normal distributions [4, 91. Although the resolution of mixed distributions into assemblies
represented by power or exponential functions may be successful
[lo], this way must be rejected in fundamental investigations of
comminution processes for physical reasons. It is well-known
~~ ~~ ~
that the calculation of the specific surface on the basis of the GGS
* Dr.-Ing. Jens Hanisch and Prof. Dr. sc. techn. Heinrich Schuhert, or RRSB formula tends to infinity in the case that with exponents
BergakademieFreiberg, WissenschaftsbereichMechanische Verfah- I 1 the lower limit d, of the size distribution approaches zero. In
renstcchnik und Aufbereitungstechnik, DDR-9200 Freiberg, Agrico-
lastr. 1 (GDR) addition, the particle numbers calculated with these formulae
** In this paper all particle size distributions are distributions by mass. should always result in finite values. But with d, = 0 the GGS and
Therefore, in F3 (d) and f,(d) the index 3 will be omitted for RRSB functions only meet this condition if the exponents are > 3
simplicity. [I1 - 131.

0Verlag Chemic GinbH, D-6940 Weinheim 1984 0176-2265/84/0210-0074$02.50/0

Part. Charact. I (1984) 74-77 15

Explanations for the genesis of log-normal distributions of The frequency curve of such a mixed distribution is given by:
broken materials were given by Kolmoyorov [I41 and Epslein
[15] on the basis of the probability theory. They showed that two-
parameter log-normal distributions of the progeny particles are
asymptotically generated as a result of a sequence of independent
comminution steps.
where
The resolution of an experimental progeny size distribution curve
into its constituent assemblies may be demonstrated by an exam-
ple of broken quartzite of the initial size range 2.5 -3.15 mm
(Fig. 2). At first fitted curves are adapted to the experimental

99 r
_A_.
,

In the following part the results of the resolution of progeny size

distributions are described, which were obtained with quartzite
comminuted by slow compressioii as single grains and also as
.-
non-side-limited particle beds. Furthermore a comparison of the
distribution parameters will be made.

0.2- 3 Mixed Distributions of Comminution Products

I , t L , , ' , , 1 I
According to our earlier results [4, 8, 171 the number of progeny
10-1 7 3 5 j0-1 2 3 5 100 2 3 5 10' 2 3 5
d and 6 I rnm assemblies depends on the initial size range. This is shown in
Fig. 3 for quartzite, where the number increases from three to
Fig. 2: Graphic-numerical resolution of a progeny size distribution of five for the initial size ranges of 2.5 -3.15 mm and 32-40 mm.
broken quartzite (inital size range 2.5-3.15 mm). The shapes of the frequency curves of the assemblies remain es-
sentially unaffected. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that for
particle assembly compressive comminution of single grains and particle beds a5
1 2 3 well as for comminution In the roller mill the parameters do,,,
d,,, 0.4mm
= do;2 = 1.25 mm do;3 = 2.5 mm d5", and q,,k are indepcndent of the stress intensity (with the
d,,;, = 0.106mm d,,:, = 0 .5 8 m m d,,;, = 2 .1 3 m m
a,,;, = 1.0 qc;; = 1.0 qni3= 1.12
pl = 10.99 p2 = 15.82 /+ = 73.19
9c 32 0- 400 mm

values of the coarsest and finest constituent assemblies. The mass

fractions , u ~of, ~the size ranges i o f the Constituent assemblies cal-
culated with the aid of the fitted curve are summed up for the
determination of the cumulative curve and multiplied by lipk ( k
indicates the constituent assembly starting with k = 1 for the
finest one). With the obtained particle size distribution F(d)kand
by application of the transformation

do; k
6 =
'o;k -

the parameters: maximum particle size do:k ,median size dso; and
standard deviation qnik can be determined. 6 represents the
transformed variable of the corresponding assembly [16]. With
these parameters and the mass fractions of the constituent assem-
blies, the frequency curves can be calculated and compared with
the experimental values. If necessary, the fitting to the experi-
mental data should be improved by variation of the parameters.
After the determination of the coarsest and finest assemblies and
their subtraction from the experimental distribution, the para- 70-1 100 10'
meters of the remaining constituent assemblies can be determined d in mm
analogously. By summing up the mass fractions ,uk,the result can Fig. 3: Single grain comminution of quartzite of different initial size
be checked, because & must equal 1. ranges: frequency curves of the progeny particles.
76 Part. Charact. I (1984) 74-77

exception of doand d,, for the coarsest assembly of the roller-mill Table 1 .
comminution and d,, for the coarsest assembly of single grain Single grain and particle bed crushing of quartzite (initial size range
comminution). Therefore, the change of the mixed distributions 12.5-16 mm): parameters of the progeny size distributions of the
with progressive comminution is, above all, accomplished by a constituent assemblies.
decrease of the mass fraction of the coarsest assembly and an
Single grain comminution Particle bed comminution
adequate increase of the fractions of the finer ones.
Assembly do d50 4, do 40 01,
(mm) (mm) (mm) (mm)

3.1 Comparison of the Progeny Size Distributions 1 0.36 0.12 0.94 0.35 0.12 1.2
of Single Grain and Particle Bed Comminution 2 1.66 0.72 1.0 1.38 0.75 1.1
3 5.07 2.82 0.92 4.88 2.73 0.95
4 [a] [a] 0.79 12.5 10 1.0
The comparison is made for the compressive comminution of
quartzite of the initial size range 12.5-16 mm. The test [a] These parameters depend on the comminution energy.
equipment and procedure were described in previous papers
[4,5]. In the logarithmic probability plot o f Fig. 4, the progeny
3.2 Comparison of Progeny Size Distributionsof Comminution
in Particle Beds and in Roller Mills
-f I d J of particle bed crushing
f ( d J of single partrcle c r u h n g It is of interest to find the correlation between the compressive
0
experimental resulfs of particle bed crushing
comminution of particle beds in a compression test machine and
30
20 ~
in a crusher or mill (e. g. in a roller mill). When the frequency
curves of the progeny particles are used for the comparison of the
comminution products, the similarity of the mixed distributions
can again be recognized (Figs. 5 and 6). Thus, it can be concluded
that these comminution processes are controlled by the same
statistical laws. The comparison of the average parameters shows
a relatively good agreement (Table 2).

10-2 2 3 5 10-1 2 3 5 100 2 3 5 10' 2

d in rnm

Fig. 4: Comparison of the progeny size distributions of singlegrain and

particle bed comminution of quartzite (initial size range 12.5 - 16 rnm).

single particle crushing particle bed crushing

W = 0.98 . . . 1.23 J W = 67.4 J
particle do 40 4n 4 do 4 0 Oln 4
assembly (mm) (mm) (070) (mm) (mm) (070)
1 0.4 0.13 0.9 1.8 0.35 0.122 1.2 2.92
2 1.7 0.7 1.0 0.7 1.38 0.7 1.1 1.50
3 5.2 2.7 0.9 2.8 5 2.75 1.0 12.55
4 15.2 11.5 0.8 94.7 12.5 9.72 1.0 83.37 2 5 lo-' 2 5 loo 2 5
d inmm
Fig. 5: Slow compression comminution of particle beds of quartzite
(initial size range 2.5 3.15 mm): frequency distribution curves with the
~

mass-related stress energy as parameter.

assemblies of typical mixed distributions are represented. It is
obvious that the two mixed distributions obtained by
comminution of single grains and particle beds are similar. With
the exception of the mass fractions and the other parameters of
the coarsest assemblies the parameters of these distributions
correspond rather well. The fact that the parameters of the
coarsest assemblies differ is due to the differing definition of an
initial particle which is considered to be broken. In particle bed
comminution, the progeny particles which are smaller than the 20
lower limit of the initial size range are considered to be broken. In E, 10
single grain comminution, the initial particles are stressed until
-E 5
the mass loss is at least 10% [18]. Consequently, large progeny P
c
particles can remain within the initial size range. Therefore, the 2
maximum particle size do;4and the median particle size dSQ4 of the I
coarsest assembly are essentially larger in single grain commin- 10-2 2 5 10" 2 5 loo 2 5
ution. The zverage values of the parameters do;k,d,,;, and qnik, d nmm
listed in Table 1, demonstrate the correlations between the Fig. 6: Coinminution of quartzite (initial size range 2.5 - 3.15 mm) in a
progeny size distributions of the comminution of single grains roller mill: frequencydistribution curves with the number of revolutions
and in particle beds. of the disc table as parameter.
Part. Charact. I (1 984) 74 - 77 77

Table 2. F, (d) = F(d) cumulative particle size distribution by mass

Comminution of quartzite (initial sizc range 2.5-3.15 mm) in a f,(d) =f(d) frequency distribution by mass
compression test machinc between cylindrical pislons and in a roller mill.
wm mass-related comminution energy
Compression P mass fraction
Roller mill
test machine d variance of the log-normal distribution

Assembly 1
do 0.373 mm 0.375 mm 6 References
d,, 0.126 mm 0.133 mm
% 1.038 1.113
E. Heidenreich, W. Kloden, G. Leipnitz, G . Suckrow: Auswertung
Assembly 2 granulometrischer Analysenergebnisse mit Hilfe von EDV-Anla-
d” 1.376mm 1.393 rnm gen. Lebensm. Ind. 20(1973) 301 303.
-

dsa 0.754 mm 0.798 mm S . Buumgurdt, B. Buss, P. May, H . Schubert: Zum Vergleich der
4
11
1.062 1.061 Zerkleinerungsergebnisse bei der Einzelkornzerkleinerung mit
Assembly 3 verschiedenen Beanspruchungsarten. Aufiereit. Tech. 16 (1975)
2.568 mm 399 400 and 467 476.
-
2.522 mm
~

do S . Yushirna, S . Morohushi, F. Saito: Single particle crushing under

d,, 2.227mm [a1
1.056 1.061 slow rate of loading, Sci. Rep. Res. Inst. T6hoku Univ., A-Vol. 28
1n
0
(1979) 116-133.
K . Klotz, H. Schubert: Crushing of single irregularly shaped
[a] The median size dSOi3obtained by roller milling depends on the
particles by compression: Size distribution of progeny particles.
number of revolutions of the disc table.
Powder Technol. 32 (1982) 129-137.
B. Buss, J . Hanisch, H. Schubert: Ubcr das Zerkleinerungsverhal-
ten Feitlich begrenzter und nicht-begrenzter Kornschichten bei
4 Physical Interpretation of Mixed Distributions Druckbeanspruchung. Neue Bergbautech. 12 (1982) 277 283. -

J . Hunisch, H. Schubert: Zum EinfluD der Beanspruchungsgeome-

The explanation of the origin of the mixcd distributions and their
constituent assemblies would be an important contribution to the
fundamentals of comminution. However, our ideas still are
largely hypothetical. According to our findings the finest
assembly is mainly produced by breakage events at the contacts
between the stressed particles, at the contacts between the
particles and the breaker plates of the machine and by attrition on
the fractured areas. Therefore, the microstructure and the
surface roughness of the particles, which is related to the
microstructure, should be reflected in the particle size
distribution of the finest constituent assembly. The evaluation of
thin sections of quartzite showed that the FERETdiameters of the
primary particles also correspond to a three-parameter log-
normal distribution. According to a transformation based on
trie auf das Zerkleinerllngsergebnis. Chem. Tech. 34 (1982) 218.
J. Hanisch, H. Schubert: 20. Diskussions-Tagung “Zerkleinern
und Klassieren”, Berlin 1983, Preprints 8 - 10.
A4. Wedekind, If. Schubert: Zuin EinfluO von Stoffart und
Kornform auf die Bruchfunktion bei der Einzclkornzerkleinerung.
20. Diskussions-Tagung “Zerkleinern und Klassiercn”, Berlin
1983, Preprints 12- 13.
J. Hunisch, K. Schmok, H . Schubrrl, M. Wedekind: Zur gra-
phisch-numerischen Zerlegung von Mischverteilungen am Beispiel
von Korngrofienverteilungen. Paper Berg- und Huttenmannischer
Tag 1983, Bergakademie Frcibcrg.
W . Hentzschel, E. Petigk, J. Petigk: Mischverteilungen zur
geschlossencn Darstellung der Korngroknverteilung von Brecher-
austragen. Neue Bergbautech. I I (1981) 488 -493.
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Ing. Tech. 28 (1956) 773 782.
-

H. Rumpf, K. F. Ebert: Darstellung von KorngroDenverteilungen

stereological considerations [19], the parameters of this und Berechnung der spezifischen Oberflache. Chem. Ing. Tech. 36
distribution are in good agreement with those of the finest ( I 964) 523 537,
-

assembly [S]. B. Buss: Verwendung mehrparametrigcr logarithmischer Normal-

The definition of a broken particle in single grain comminution
allows fragments to remain in the order of the initial size range.
These particles form the coarsest assembly.
The origin of the intermediate constituent assemblies is an open
question. Perhaps they originate in fractures at the corners and
edges of the irregularly shaped initial particles.
Because the particle shape and the structure of the material are
probably decisive for the mixed distributions that result, further
investigations in this direction are essential.
5 Nomenclature
d particle size
do maximum particle size
du minimum particle size
d 50 median particle size
verteilungen zur Darstellung der Korngrdflenverteilungen von
Zerkleinerungsprodukten. Freiberger Forschungsh. A 560 (1976)
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99 - 101.
B. Epstein: Logarithmic-normal distribution in breaking of solids.
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3rd Ed. Deutscher Verlag fur Grundstoffindustrie, Leipzig 1975.
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bedeutsamer wissenschaftlicher Intregrationsprozefl. Paper Berg-
und Hiittenmannischer Tag 1983, Bergakademie Freiberg.
D. Behrens: Uber die Prallzerkleinerung von Glaskugeln und
unregelmaRig geformten Teilchen aus Schwerspat, Kalkstein und
Quarzsand im KorngroDcnbereich z.wischcn 0,l - 1,5 mm. Thesis,
Universitat Karlsruhe 1964.
H. E. Exner: Die mikroskopische Bestimrnung von raumlichen
KorngroDenverteilungen in undurchsichtigen Stoffen. Prakt.
Metallogr. 3 (1966) 334-341.