Impact Grinding Plant Vibratory Plates Ore Comminution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ore grinding technologies, such as tumbling mills, face inefficiencies in energy usage, overgrinding, and difficulty in handling large volumes and corrosive materials, with limited improvements in recent years.
Innovation Solution
An impact grinding plant with vibratory mechanisms and conveyor systems that elevate and repeatedly impact unground material on vibrating impact plates, maximizing first impact breakage and charge participation, while minimizing abrasive grinding and overgrinding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If tumbling mills are used for grinding ore, then grinding capability is provided, but energy efficiency is low with only 25% of consumed energy applied to break particles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration by dropping material onto a vibratory impact plate. The vibratory mechanism causes the impact plate to vibrate, creating repeated high-velocity impacts that maximize first impact breakage. This vibration-based approach increases the proportion of energy converted to useful particle breakage, addressing the low energy efficiency problem of conventional tumbling mills.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic impact by repeatedly dropping material onto the vibratory impact plate multiple times. This dynamic process ensures maximum charge participation where all material is subjected to impact forces, converting a higher percentage of consumed energy into effective particle breakage compared to static or slow-tumbling configurations.
2Manufacturing precision
If tumbling mills are used for grinding, then grinding is achieved, but overgrinding occurs reducing energy efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a feedback mechanism through the separation assembly that continuously monitors and separates ground material from unground material. Ground material is removed from the circuit while unground material is returned for further impact, preventing overgrinding by ensuring particles are only ground as long as necessary to achieve the desired size, thus optimizing energy efficiency.
3Speed
If larger diameter mills are used to increase impact velocity, then impact velocity increases, but fabrication, transportation and installation become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the grinding function into multiple smaller impact plates arranged in series rather than relying on a single large-diameter mill. Each impact plate can be manufactured, transported, and installed independently, avoiding the difficulties associated with fabricating and installing very large diameter mills while still achieving high impact velocities through the segmented impact sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from increasing mill diameter (horizontal dimension) to increasing drop height and impact frequency (vertical dimension). By elevating material to greater heights and applying repeated impacts, the system achieves high impact velocities without requiring proportionally large mill diameters, thereby simplifying fabrication and installation.
4Reliability
If tumbling mills are used, then grinding is provided, but replaceable mill liners are required protecting mill wall from impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the impact function from the mill wall and concentrates it on a dedicated vibratory impact plate. This separation allows the impact plate to be replaced independently without affecting the mill wall or requiring replacement of entire mill liners, simplifying maintenance and repair operations while maintaining reliable protection against impact forces.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enhances grinding efficiency by achieving higher impact velocities and frequencies, increasing energy efficiency, reducing overgrinding, and allowing for larger volumes and corrosive material processing with fewer maintenance interruptions.
Implementation Method 1
a vibratory mechanism operatively connected to the impact plate. The vibratory mechanism causes the impact plate to vibrate
Implementation Method 2
Each assembly further includes a conveyor for elevating the unground material
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an impact grinding assembly. The assembly, according to one aspect, includes a pair of conveyors for conveying at least partially unground material. Each conveyor has a lower portion and an upper portion which is spaced-apart above its lower portion. The assembly includes a pair of vibrating impact plates aligning below the upper portions of respective ones of the conveyors to receive the at least partially unground material. A first one of the impact plates operatively directs material thereon to the lower portion of a second one of the conveyors. A second one of the impact plates operatively directs material thereon to the lower portion of a first one of the conveyors. The impact grinding assembly may further include a material-separation assembly for removing material from the conveyors which has a particle size no greater than a desired particle size.