Rules Of Thumb : Disintegration

1. Percentages of material greater than 50% of the maximum size are about 50% from rolls, 15% from tumbling mills, and 5% from closed circuit ball mills.
2. Closed circuit grinding employs external size classification and return of oversize for regrinding. The rules of pneumatic conveying are applied to design of air classifiers. Closed circuit is most common with ball and roller mills.
3. Jaw and gyratory crushers are used for coarse grinding.
4. Jaw crushers take lumps of several feet in diameter down to 4 in. Stroke rates are 100–300/min. The average feed is subjected to 8–10 strokes before it becomes small enough to escape. Gyratory crushers are suited for slabby feeds and make a more rounded
   product.
5. Roll crushers are made either smooth or with teeth. A 24 in. toothed roll can accept lumps 14 in. dia. Smooth rolls effect reduction ratios up to about 4. Speeds are 50–900 rpm. Capacity is about 25% of the maximum corresponding to a continuous ribbon of material passing through the rolls.
6. Hammer mills beat the material until it is small enough to pass through the screen at the bottom of the casing. Reduction ratios of 40 are feasible. Large units operate at 900 rpm, smaller ones up to 16,000 rpm. For fibrous materials the screen is provided with cutting edges.
7. Rod mills are capable of taking feed as large as 50 mm and reducing it to 300 mesh, but normally the product range is 8– 65 mesh. Rods are 25–150 mm dia. Ratio of rod length to mill diameter is about 1.5. About 45% of the mill volume is occupied by rods. Rotation is at 50–65% of critical.
8. Ball mills are better suited than rod mills to fine grinding. The charge is of equal weights of 1.5, 2, and 3 in. balls for the finest grinding. Volume occupied by the balls is 50% of the millvolume. Rotation speed is 70–80% of critical. Ball mills have a length to diameter ratio in the range 1–1.5. Tube mills have a ratio of 4–5 and are capable of very fine grinding. Pebble mills have ceramic grinding elements, used when contamination with metal is to be avoided.
9. Roller mills employ cylindrical or tapered surfaces that roll along flatter surfaces and crush nipped particles. Products of 20–200 mesh are made.
10. Fluid energy mills are used to produce fine or ultrafine (sub-micron) particles.