CHE-205L Particle Technology Lab

Name: Muhammad Jan

Registration No.: 19PWCHE1431
Section: B
Subject: Particle Technology Lab
Code: CHE-205L
Dated: 24th Dec, 2020
Assignment No.: 01
Assignment Title: WORKING PRINCIPLE OF HAMMER MILL

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 Hammer Mill: A hammer mill is a mill whose
purpose is to shred or crush aggregate material into
smaller pieces by the repeated blows of little hammers.
Hammer mills consist of a series of hammers (usually four
or more) hinged on a central shaft and enclosed within a
rigid metal case. It produces size reduction by impact. The
basic principle is straightforward. A hammer mill is
essentially a steel drum containing a vertical or horizontal
rotating shaft or drum on which hammers are mounted.
The hammers are free to swing on the ends of the cross,
or fixed to the central rotor. Hammer mills crush materials
into two stages.
A. Size reduction which occurs by dynamic impact
B. Sizing which occurs by attrition and shear in the
second zone where small clearance exists between
the hammer and the screen bar producing a
particle range of 15-50 µm.

Parts and Components of Hammer Mill:

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→ Feed Hopper: This refers to the part that

delivers ingredients to the machine for
processing. Some may refer to it as feeding
chute or feeding tray. The materials are poured
on this component then driven to the crushing
chamber through the rotary valve. It is an
important component of this machine because
it helps to determine the amount of material
that you will process at a time. Additionally, the
size and design of feed hopper also vary
depending on the construction of a particular
machine. In most cases, this part is often
adjustable to enable you to find the right angle
for presenting the materials to the machine.

→ Pneumatic Rotary Valve: This is another significant part of any hammer mill machine. It primarily
presents an airlock between systems with varying air pressures. So, what happens is that this valve
makes it possible for ingredients to pass between the zones with varying air pressures. The essence of
this valve is to provide feeding and metering functionality of an ordinary feeding chute. Primarily
though, the role of this component is to maintain pressure and offer a maximum air seal between
different product transmission conversion. It thus follows that the optimum airlock that this
component provides prevents loss of air pressure in high pressure and temperature conditions.
→ Crushing Chamber: This is the central area where the actual processing takes place. It is where the
hammers are located which rotate a high speed to crush, grind and pulverize the ingredients. As the
name suggests, the crushing chamber provides the vacuum for grinding and pulverizing different
types of ingredients. The size of this component like any other part is dependent on the design of the
particular machine and other related elements. The hammers in the crushing chamber are driven
using electric power through an electric motor to enable them rotates and crush the materials.

→ Control Box: This is arguably the most fundamental

component of any hammer mill machine. It consists of the
various switches that facilitate the efficiency of operating the
machine. This box also allows you to determine various
functionalities of the machine. So that you get the right or
necessary condition when processing the ingredients.

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→ Crushing knives or hammers: These are the fundamental tools that crush or grind materials.
They rotate at a high speed that may vary from
2,500 to 60,000 rpm. In most cases, these
hammers are mounted on horizontal shafts
where, they may rotate either clockwise or anti-
clockwise. This may depend on the direction of
the rotor rotation. A rotor is the rotating shaft
coupled to an electric motor. The hammers
come in different styles and shapes. Hammer
mill’s crushing tools may be coupled directly to
a motor or driven by a belt. As opposed to
direct connection, the belts can cushion the
motor from shock and allows for accurate
speed adjustment.

 Working Principle of Hammer Mill: Hammer mills work on the principle that most
materials will crush, shatter, or pulverize upon impact. In crushing terminology, impact refers to the sharp,
instantaneous collision of one moving object against another. The working principle of Hammer Mill is also
explained in the given figure.

➢ The Process:
→ Feeding: Material is fed into the mill grinding chamber through the feed chute,
typically by gravity.
→ It repeatedly is struck by ganged hammers which are attached to a shaft which
rotates at high speed inside the mill chamber.

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→ Crushing: The material is crushed or shattered by a combination of repeated
hammer impacts, collisions with the walls of the grinding chamber, and particle on
particle impacts.
→ Product Discharge: Perforated metal screens or bar grates covering the discharge
opening of the mill retain coarse material for further grinding, while allowing
properly sized materials to pass as finished product.

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