GRINDING (MILLING)

GRINDING (MILLING)

Grinding (For liberation in most ores

by using tumbling mills)Particle size
reduction to: 40-300 ηm. Mill types:
Tumbling Mills (Rod mill, ball mill,
autogenous mill, semi autogenous mill)
Grinding
Fine Grinding (For liberation of some
specific ore types, for solid fuel
production, for size reduction of some
industrial raw materials). Different
mill types are used. reduction to size of
fine (15-40ηm) and ultra-fine (<15 ηm)
Mill types (Stirred mill, Vibrating mill)
 GRINDING

• Grinding is the last stage in the process of comminution

• In grinding, the particles are reduced in size by a combination of impact and

abrasion.

• It is generally wet process (sometimes it may be dry)

• It is performed in rotating cylindrical steel vessels (tumbling mills ) which contain a

charge of loose grinding bodies (the grinding medium)

• Grinding medium is free to move inside the mill, thus comminuting the ore particles.

• In tumbling mills the mill shell is rotated and motion is imparted to the charge via
the mill shell. The grinding medium may be steel rods, balls, or rock itself.

• In grinding, particles between 5 and 250 mm are reduced in size to between 40 and
300 ηm.
 Water

Feeding

Product
DIFFERENT GRINDING MEDIUMS

Ball
Road

Slug

Silpeps

Coarse Ore
• Correct grinding is the key to good mineral processing.

• Undergrinding of the ore will result in a product which is too coarse, with
a degree of liberation too low for economic separation. Poor recovery and
enrichment ratio will be achieved in the concentration stage.
•
• Overgrinding needlessly reduces the particle size of the subsequently
liberated major constituent (usually the gangue) and may reduce the
particle size of the minor constituent (usually the mineral value) below the
size required for most efficient separation. Much expensive energy is
wasted in the process.

• Grinding is the most energy-intensive operation in mineral processing. On

a survey of the energy consumed in a number of Canadian copper
concentrators it was shown that the average energy consumption in was as
follows:

2.2 kWh/t for crushing

11.6 kWht for grinding
2.6 kWht for flotation
• Grinding within a tumbling mill is influenced by the size, quantity, the
type of motion, and the spaces between the individual pieces of the
grinding medium in the mill.
• Grinding can be done by several mechanisms, including impact or
compression, due to forces applied almost normally to the particle
surface; chipping due to oblique forces; and abrasion due to forces
acting parallel to the surfaces.
• Grinding is usually performed wet, although in certain applications dry
grinding is used. When the mill is rotated, the mixture of medium, ore, and
water, known as the mill charge.

• Mill charge is intimately mixed, the medium comminutes the particles by

any of the above methods depending on the speed of rotation of the mill and
the shell liner structure.

• Most of the energy in grinding is dissipated as heat, noise, and other losses,
only a small fraction being expended in actually breaking the particles.

• Grinding in mineral processing is a continuous process, material being fed at

a controlled rate from storage bins into one end of the mill and overflowing
at the other end after a suitable dwell time.

• Control of product size is exercised by the type of medium used, the speed
of rotation of the mill, the nature of the ore feed, and the type of circuit used.
• In mills loose crushing bodies (mediums) are used. , They are large,
hard, and heavy in relation to the ore particles. They occupy slightly
less than half the volume of the mill.
• Due to the rotation and friction of the mill shell, the grinding medium
is lifted along the rising side of the mill. When the mediums cascade
and cataract down the free surface of the other mediums, about a dead
zone where little movement occurs, down to the toe of the mill charge.
• The speed at which a mill is run is important, since it governs the
nature of the product and the amount of wear on the shell liners. The
driving force of the mill is transmitted via the liner to the charge.
• At relatively low speeds, or with smooth liners, the medium tends to
roll down (slipping and revolving) to the toe of the mill and
essentially abrasive comminution occurs. This cascading leads to finer
grinding, with increased slimes production and increased liner wear.

• At higher speeds or with rough liners the medium is projected clear

of the charge to describe a series of parabolas before landing (free
jumping) on the toe of the charge. This cataracting leads to
comminution by impact and a coarser end product with reduced liner
wear.
 Free Jumping (Occurs at cataracting)

Slipping and Revolving (Occurs at cascading)

At the critical speed of the mill the theoretical trajectory of the grinding
medium is such that it would fall outside the shell.

where D is the mill diameter and d the rod or ball diameter in metres.
 Sheel
Feeding Liners Tumbling mills are of four basic types: rod, ball,
autogenous and semiautogenous. Structurally, each
type of mill consists of a horizontal cylindrical shell,
provided with renewable wearin liners and a charge
of grinding medium.

Grinding Medium Mill End

Endend
Power consumed in mill depends on speed of the mill, medium load and grinding
conditions. Power increase with mill speed up to (speed≤%80xcritical speed). However
when (speed>%80xcritical speed) power begin to be lower.

Solid%

Power
Power

Time
Load (%)

Coarse Ore Power

Fine Ore
Maximum
Power

Medium
• The feed of grinding can be wet or dry, depending on the subsequent
process and the nature of the product. Dry grinding is necessary with
some materials due to physical or chemical changes which occur if
water is added. It causes less wear on the liners and grinding media
and there is a higher proportion of fines in the product, which may be
desirable in some cases.
Wet grinding is generally used in mineral processing operations
because of the overall economies of operation
• The advantages of wet grinding are:
• It consumes lower power per tonne of product.
• It has higher capacity per unit mill volume.
• It makes possible the use of wet screening or classification for close
product control.
• It eliminates the dust problem.
• It makes possible the use of simple handling
and transport methods such as pumps, pipes, and launders.
Conventional Grinding

Fine Grinding
ROD MILLS
• These may be considered as either fine crushers or coarse grinding machines. They are
capable of taking feed as large as 50 mm and making a product as fine as 300ηm, reduction
ratios normally being in the range 15-20:1. They are often preferred to fine crushing machines
when the ore is "clayey" or damp, thus tending to choke crushers. rod mill ile ilgili görsel sonucu

•
•
•
• length of the cylindrical shell is between 1.5 and 2.5 times its diameter.

• Rod mills are classed according to the nature of the discharge.

• Centre peripheral discharge mills are fed at both ends through the trunnions and discharge
the ground product through circumferential ports at the centre of the shell. The short path and
steep gradient give a coarse grind with a minimum of fines, but the reduction ratio is limited.
This mill can be used for wet or dry grinding and has found its greatest use in the preparation
of specification sands, where high tonnage rates and an extremely coarse product are
required.
• End peripheral discharge mills are fed at one end through the trunnion, discharging the
ground product from the other end of the mill by means of several peripheral apertures into a
close-fitting circumferential chute. This type of mill is used mainly for dry and damp
• Rod mills are classed according to the nature of the discharge.
• Centre peripheral discharge mills are fed at both ends through the
trunnions and discharge the ground product through circumferential
ports at the centre of the shell. The short path and steep gradient give a
coarse grind with a minimum of fines, but the reduction ratio is
limited. This mill can be used for wet or dry grinding and has found
its greatest use in the preparation of specification sands, where high
tonnage rates and an extremely coarse product are required.
• End peripheral discharge mills are fed at one end through the
trunnion, discharging the ground product from the other end of the
mill by means of several peripheral apertures into a close-fitting
circumferential chute. This type of mill is used mainly for dry and
damp grinding, where moderately coarse products are involved.
• The most widely used type of rod mill in the mining industry is the
trunnion overflow, in which the feed is introduced through one
trunnion and discharges through the other. This type of mill is used
only for wet grinding and its principal function is to convert
crushingplant product into ball-mill feed.
•
• Actual diameters in use range from 25 to 150mm. The smaller the rods the larger is the total surface
area and hence the greater is the grinding efficiency.
• Generally, rods should be removed when they are worn down to about 25 mm in diameter or less.
• High carbon steel rods are used as they are hard.
about 45% of the mill volume is occupied. Overcharging results in inefficient grinding and
increased liner and rod consumption.
Rod consumption varies widely with the characteristics of the mill feed, mill speed, rod length, and
product size; it is normally in the range 0.1-1.0 kg of steel per tonne of ore for wet grinding, being
less for dry grinding.
• Rod mills are normally run at between 50 and 65% of the critical speed, so that the rods cascade
rather than cataract.;
• The feed pulp density is usually between 65 and 85% solids by weight, finer feeds requiring lower
pulp densities.
• . The coarse feed tends to spread the rods at the feed end, so producing a wedge- or cone-shaped
array. This increases the tendency for grinding to take place preferentially on the larger particles,
thereby producing a minimum amount of extremely fine material. This selective grinding gives a
product of relatively narrow size range, with little oversize or slimes.
• Rod mills are therefore suitable for preparation of feed to gravity concentrators, certain flotation
processes with slime problems, magnetic cobbing, They are nearly always run in open circuit
because of this controlled size reduction.
BALL MILLS
• The final stages of comminution are performed in tumbling mills using steel balls as
the grinding medium and so designated "ball mills."
• Since balls have a greater surface area per unit weight than rods, they are better
suited for fine finishing.
• The term ball mill is restricted to those having a length to diameter ratio of 1.5 to 1
and less.
• Ball mills are also classified by the nature of the discharge. They may be simple
trunnion overflow mills, operated in open or closed circuit, or grate discharge (low-
level discharge) mills. The latter type is fitted with discharge grates between the
cylindrical mill body and the discharge trunnion.

trunnion overflow grate discharge

• Closed-circuit grinding, with high circulating loads, produces a closely sized end product and
a high output per unit volume compared with open circuit grinding. The trunnion overflow
mill is the simplest to operate and is used for most ball mill applications, especially for fine
grinding and regrinding. Ball mills should operate between 65 and 80% solids by weight,
depending on the ore. primary grinding usually requiring a graded charge of 10-5 cm
diameter balls, while secondary grinding requires 5-2cm.
• The charge volume is about 40-50% of the internal volume of the mill, about 40% of this
being void space. The energy input to a mill increases with the ball charge, and reaches a
maximum at a charge volume of approximately 50%, but for a number of reasons, 40- 50% is
rarely exceeded. Ball mills are often operated at higher speeds than rod mills, so that the
larger balls cataract and impact on the ore particles. The work input to a mill increases in
proportion to the speed, and ball mills are run at as high a speed as is possible without
centrifuging. Normally this is 70-80% of the critical speed.
• AUTOGENOUS MILLS (AG MILL) AND SEMI-AUTOGENOUS MILLS (SAG MILL)
•
• An AG mill is a tumbling mill that utilises the ore itself as grinding media. The ore must contain sufficient
competent pieces to act as grinding media. An SAG mill is an autogenous mill that utilises steel balls of 10-15
cm (6-12% mill volume) in addition to the natural grinding [Link] main advantages of AG/SAG mills are
their lower capital cost, the ability to treat a wide range of ore type including sticky and clayey feeds, relatively
simple flowsheets, the large size of available equipment, lower manpower requirements, and reduced grinding
media expense. They are generally used for grinding operation of gold, copper and iron ores.
• AG/SAG mills can handle feed ore as large as 200 mm, normally the product of the primary crusher or the run-
of-mine ore, and achieve a product of 0.1 mm in one piece of equipment. The particle size distribution of the
product depends on the characteristics and structure of the ore being ground. The main mechanism of
comminution in AG/SAG mills is considered to be abrasion and impact. The product sizing is predominantly
around the region of grain or crystal size due to the relatively gentle comminution action. This is generally
desirable for mineral treatment as the wanted minerals are liberated with minimal overgrinding, and the grains
keep their original prismatic shape more intact.
• Smoother particle surfaces are also obtained, which is desirable for flotation, particularly for the attachment of
air bubbles. Investigations have shown that ores ground autogenously float faster and with better selectivity than
if ground conventionally. Grinding in steel mills can also suppress the natural floatability of minerals, due to
release of iron into the slurry, and galvanic interaction between sulphide minerals and medium can affect
flotation efficiency
• A successful grinding in ag or sag mills depend on the suitablirity of the ore for ag/sag grinding. AG or SAG
mills are defined by the aspect ratio. The aspect ratio is defined as the ratio of diameter to length. Aspect ratios
generally fall into three main groups: high aspect ratio mills where the diameter is 1.5-3 times of the length,
"square mills" where the diameter is approximately equal to the length, and low aspect ratio mills where the
length is 1.5-3 times that of the diameter. Although Scandinavian and South African practice favours low aspect
ratio AG or SAG mills, in North America and Australia AG or SAG mills are distinguished by high aspects. The
largest SAG mill in present use is 12 m in diameter by 6.1 m length (belly inside liners) driven by a motor power
of more than 20 MW installed in an Australian gold-copper mine
• Typically, size of the can be reduced from 25-40 cm to – 5cm (>100-75 µm). Mill charge (ore/ ore+ball) is 25-
35% of mill volume. The grate as shown in the figure is used to hold back the grinding media and allow fine
particles and slurry to flow through its holes. Shapes of the grate apertures can be square, round, or slotted, with
size varying from 10 to 40 mm.
an Australian gold-copper mine

pically, size
uced from
m (>10
rge (ore

North America Type Scandinavia - South African Type

 COMPARATION OF THE ROD MILL, BALL MILL AG MILL AND SAG MILL

*Percent Criğtical Speed

Rod Mill Ball Mill AG Mill SAG Mill

Mill Diameter 2-5m 2-7m 2 - 11 m 2 - 11 m

Length/Diameter 1.5 - 2.5 1 - 1.5 0.3 - 1.0 0.3 - 1.0

Grinding Media 35 - 40% 35 - 45% 0% 6 - 12%

Mill Speed* 64 - 76% 70 - 80% 70 - 80% 70 - 80%

Solid Content% 75 - 85% 65 - 80% 65 - 75% 65 - 75%

Diameter of Media 5 - 10 cm 2.5 - 9 cm 10-40 cm (coarse ore) 10 - 15 cm

oreore) (+coarse ore)

Product Size <0.5 mm <0.1 mm <5 cm (>100-75 µm). <5 cm(>100-75 µm).
 FINE GRINDING MILLS
• Vibratory mills
• Vibratory mills are designed for continuous, or batch, grinding to give a very fine
end product from a wide variety of materials, the operation being performed either
wet or dry. Two tubes functioning as vibrating grinding cylinders are located one
above the other in a plane inclined at 30° to the perpendicular.
• The cylinders are filled to about 60-70% with grinding medium, usuallysteel balls of
diameter 10-50mm.
• The processed material size range is between approximately 30mm feed and - 10 ηm
end product.
• Tower mills
• In contrast to tumbling mills where motion is imparted to the charge via the
rotational mill shell, in tower and stirred mills motion is imparted to the charge by
the movement of an internal stirrer while the shells are stationary.
• The feed enters at the top, with mill water, and is reduced in size by attribution and
abrasion as it falls, the finely ground particles being carried upwards by pumped
liquid and overflowing to a classifier. Oversize particles are returned to the bottom
of the chamber, and final classification is by hydrocyclones, which return
underflow to the mill sump for further grinding.
• Product sizes may be 1-100 ηm.
• Stirred mills
• Despite the manufacturers claim that tower mills can achieve a product size
of 1 ηm, they are generally used at the coarse end of the fine grinding
spectrum due to the use of coarse media (around 6 mm), Finer grinding is
normally achieved with stirred mills.
• These employ stirrers comprising a shaft with pins or disks. Stirred mills can
be classified by their shell orientations: vertical such as the Sala Agitated
Mill (SAM) or horizontal such as the IsaMill. They are distinguished by the
designed power intensity. The power intensity for horizontal stirred mills is
thus an order of magnitude higher than that of vertical ones.
• Roller mills
• These mills are often used for the dry grinding of medium soft materials of up to 4-
5 mohs hardness.
• Table and roller mills are used to grind medium hard materials such as coal,
limestone, phosphate rock, and gypsum. Two or three rollers, operating against
coiled springs, grind material which is fed onto the centre of a rotating grinding
table. Ground material spilling over the edge of the table is air-swept into a classifier
mounted on the mill casing, coarse particles being returned for further grinding.
• Pendulum roller mills are used for fine grinding non-metallic minerals such as
barytes and limestone. Material is reduced by the centrifugal action of suspended
rollers running against a stationary grinding ring. The rollers are pivoted on a spider
support fitted to a gear-driven shaft. Feed material falls onto the mill floor, to be
scooped up by ploughs into the "angle of nip" between the rolls and the grinding
ring. Ground material is air-swept from the mill into a classifier, oversize material
being returned.
• High-Compression Roller Mill utilises forces in excess of 50MPa, by the action of a
hydraulic pressures system acting on a piston which presses the movable roller
against the material bed (density > 70% solids by volume). Under such high forces,
the product is a compacted cake containing a high proportion of fines and grains
with microcracks. The compacted cake is subsequently deagglomerated, releasing
the fines. The typical comminution energy in an HPGR unit is 2.5-3.5 kWh/t,
compared to 15-25 kWh/t in ball mill grinding. These mills are now being utilised in
the cement, diamond, and limestone industries, and there is some evidence to show
that mineral liberation can be improved by using these devices, so that they may be
useful in the comminution of industrial and metalliferous ores.
Vertical Mills
Metso's VERTIMILL Vertical Grinding Mill can bring up to 40%
savings in energy consumption compared to more traditional
grinding mills while enabling excellent recovery rates in later
phases of the process.

[Link]
AG and SAG Mills

[Link]