Size Reduction of Solids Crushing and Grinding Equipment

The unit operation of the size reduction or comminution of solids by crushers and mills is a very important industrial operation involving many aspects of powder technology. It is estimated that mechanical size reduction of rocks, ores, coals, cement, plastics, grains, etc. involves at least a billion tons of material per year in the United States alone. The operation ranges in scale, for a single device, from a few kilograms per hour for speciality products to hundreds of tons per hour for metallurgical extractive purposes. In this chapter, the fundamental aspects are emphasized rather than mechanical or process engineering aspects, to form a background for intelligent decisionmaking in the choice and analysis of size reduction systems.