Abstract
Comminution by gyratory crusher is the first stage in the size reduction operation in mineral processing. In the copper industry, these machines are widely utilized, and their reliability has become a relevant aspect. To optimize the design and to improve the availability of gyratory crushers, it is necessary to calculate their power and torque accurately. The discrete element method (DEM) has been commonly used in several mining applications and is a powerful tool to predict the necessary power required in the operation of mining machines. In this paper, a DEM model was applied to a copper mining gyratory crusher to perform a comprehensive analysis of the loads in the mantle, the crushing torque, and crushing power. A novel polar representation of the radial forces is proposed that may help designers, engineers, and operators to recognize the distribution of force loads on the mantle in an easier and intuitive way. Simulations with different operational conditions are presented and validated through a comparison with nominal data. A calculation procedure for the crushing power of crushers is presented, and recommendations for the selection of the minimum resolved particle size are given.
Highlights
Gyratory crushers are the most common machine used in the primary crushing in the copper mining industry of Chile and worldwide, and they are designed for large tonnage throughput
Li et al [14] presented a discrete element method (DEM) model of a cone crusher by using the particle replacement method (PRM) to represent the breakage of rocks
A coarse mesh of the boundaries drastically changes the results of the crushing torque because the direction of the force and moment arm can be affected; a fine mesh of the mantle with a triangle size of 20 mm is used, which is close to the minimum particle size utilized in these DEM simulations
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Li et al [14] presented a DEM model of a cone crusher by using the particle replacement method (PRM) to represent the breakage of rocks They studied the effect of closed side setting and eccentric speed on the size distribution of the products with DEM simulations. André and Tavares published simulations of a laboratory-scale cone crusher by adopting a novel breakage model [18] Their results provided good agreement with experiments for throughput with a relative error of 9.6, 10.4, and 37.9% for the three cases presented, but the findings reported a deviation up to a 50% for specific energy and product size. A calculation procedure for the crushing power of crushers is proposed where the torque is computed with radial forces because only these forces are transmitted to the eccentric
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
