Comparison of particle size and shape distribution of corundum produced by industrial ball mill and material bed compression

Abstract

Comminution of corundum is a challenging task, as it has very high hardness and compression strength, and it is also a very abrasive material. Selection of the best comminution process for each particle size thus has a great importance. But for this, first we must understand the effects of different type of stresses and comminution methods used for the dry comminution of corundum. In this article the comparison of particle size and shape distribution of corundum produced by material bed compression and classic ball mill grinding is carried out. Comminution experiments were carried out in a laboratory scale piston press, to achieve material bed compression like in HPGR technology, and in a conventional industrial scale ball mill for particle-particle, particle-grinding media interaction. The results showed that the products of the two comminution methods have a significant difference both in particle size and shape distribution.