Size Reduction of Solids

A lecture on Crushers
Introduction
 Fine materials are important in the industry and in our daily lives
 Materials for construction, pigments in paint, particles for polymers
 Used for subsequent operation in the processing plants and other unit operations
 True solid materials are crystalline in nature
 They contain cleavage planes
 Solid materials can be broken using shear, compression or upon impact
Objective of size reduction

 Making small ones out of big ones

 Produce a product of the desired size or size range
 Example: powdered coal is suitable for furnaces but not for stokers as Lump coal is applicable to it
 Break apart minerals or crystals of chemical compounds
Stages of Reduction

 Important for conserving energy

 For crushing sizes of 1 ft to 200-mesh, energy required would be too great
 No machine has been designed to adjust itself with the varying requirement
of contact yet
 Three steps of size reduction:
 Coarse size reduction (feed of 2 to 96 inches or more)
 Intermediate size reduction ( feed of 1 to 3 inches)
 Fine size reduction (fees of 0.25 to 0.5 inches)
Operating Variables

 Moisture Content
 must be below 3 or 4 percent by weight of the material to be in contact
 Small moisture is needed for dust control, too much could clog machines
 Wet grinding is used if moisture content is 50 percent at more
 Reduction Ratio
 must be right for each stage
 Coarse reduction have a ratio of 3 to 7 whereas Fine reduction may have up to 100
 Free Crushing
 quick removal of very fine products from the machine and material in contact
 Removal can be possible by gravity, exhaust fans, Washed by water or moved by centrifugal force
Operating Variables

 Choke Feeding
 Material in contact stays inside crushing zone
 Can eliminate some stages
 Close Circuit
 If a size separation unit connects its oversize stream to a crusher for reprocessing
 Open Circuit
 If no material after screening is subject to recrushing
Operating Variables

 Size and Hardness of material

 Moh’s scale of 4 and below is considered soft
 Crushers for fine stages are usually for harder materials
 Action of Size Reduction
 Shearing/Compression or Impact for crystalline materials
 Tearing for fibrous materials (Disintegrators)
Coarse Size Reduction

 Handle feed sizes of 3 to 4 inches and up

 Hard and Soft materials have different machinery
Coarse Crushers for Hard Materials

 Jaw Crusher
 Crushing is done by direct application of shearing Pressure by compressing materials
 Has three types: Blake, Dodge and the Universal Jaw Crusher
 Gyratory Crusher
 A more recent development, can contain a larger capacity
 Crushes material using an eccentric motion of its concaves
Jaw Crushers
 Blake Crusher
 Movable jaw is pivoted at the top
 Suitable for larger sizes

 Dodge Crusher
 Movable jaw is pivoted at the bottom
 Gives a fixed discharge
Jaw Crushers

 Universal jaw Crusher

 Combines the characteristics of Blake and Dodge Crushers
Gyratory Crushers

 Used for consistent crushing as opposed to the intermittent crushing of the

jaw crusher
Coarse Crushers for Soft Materials

 Bradford Breaker
 Can perform both breaking and screening
 Harder materials simply pass through the assembly unbroken
Coarse Crushers for Soft Materials

 Toothed Roll Crusher

 Used for coal, gypsum and ice
 Its “teeth” pressurizes larger lumps causing the disintegration possible
Coarse Crushers for Soft Materials

 Hammer Mill
 Used for coal and fibrous materials
 Individual hammers weigh as much as 250 lb
 A versatile crusher since wet materials can be processed
Coarse Crushers for Soft Materials

 Squirrel-Cage Disintegrator
 Useful in tearing fibrous materials
 Makes use of centrifugal forces to drive the material into its crushing zone
Intermediate Size Reduction

 Handles feeds of 1 to 3 inches

 Soft and hard materials do not have distinct machinery
Intermediate Size Reduction

 Cone Crusher
 Similar to the gyratory crusher
 Its uniqueness lies in its flared-out discharge
Intermediate Size Reduction

 Crushing Rolls
 Consists of two heavy cylinders that nip the feed downward through friction
Intermediate Size Reduction

 Gravity Stamps
 Earliest known method of mechanical size reduction
 Consist of a heavy weight that would be lifted and let go on the material to be
crushed
 Has a high reduction ratio of 150 making it a flexible crushing equipment
Fine Size Reduction

 Handles feeds of 0.25 to 0.5 inches

 Termed “fine grinding”
Fine Size Reduction

 Raymond Roller mill

 Includes a sizing feature whereas the material cannot leave the assembly until it is
fine enough
Fine Size Reduction

 Ball Mills
 Size reduction is accomplished by impact of balls found inside the mill
 Can operate under wet or dry conditions
Fine Size Reduction

 Rod Mills
 Similar to ball mills but the grinding media are rods
 Rods must always be of same length with the mill
Fine Size Reduction

 Tube Mills
 Utilizes pebbles of flint and ceramic linings
 Operation is done by bathces