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Abstract
A cone crusher is used for crushing rock material in mines and quarries. The performance of the crusher changes during its
lifetime due to wear of the crusher liners. Previous research has made it possible to model, simulate and optimize the performance of
a given crusher. A problem is that due to wear the optimized geometry will change and the performance will suffer. To design crusher
geometry for optimized performance throughout the lifetime of the liners, it is desirable to predict the worn geometry. This paper
presents a method for this purpose. In a previous study, a wear model was investigated for a laboratory scale crusher. This model
has been implemented in a cone crusher. The controller in a modern cone crusher can, for example, keep the close side setting or the
power draw constant. Such a controller was implemented in the model. Measurements of the worn geometry were conducted in
order to validate the wear model. The worn geometry is well predicted although the wear rate, estimated from experiments presented
in a previous study, was overestimated. The effect of constant power control and wear on various output parameters was studied in
simulations.
Ó 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cone crushers are used in the mining and aggregates Fig. 2 shows the operating principle of a cone
industries to crush rock. Fig. 1 shows the operating crusher. The motor turns the eccentric with a bevel gear.
principle of a cone crusher. Rock is fed at the top. The mantle is suspended on a spherical thrust bearing at
During operation the geometry of the crushing liners the bottom, a cylindrical bearing in the eccentric and a
will change and the performance will suffer. spherical bearing at the top. When the eccentric is
Previous investigations on cone crusher performance turned, the mantle will exert a nutating and rotating
have been carried out by Evertsson (2000), who devel- motion so that the bed of rock material between liners
oped a method to model flow of rock material and the will be compressed. Rock particles will be squeezed and
breakage. Evertsson and Lindqvist (2002) has also done crushed several times along their path through the
some investigations on the pressure distribution and crusher. The crushing outcome is determined by the
power draw in cone crushers. An alternative method for geometry of the crusher liners. The smallest distance
wear prediction in similar applications was presented by across the crushing chamber at the closed position is
Cleary, 1998 who has developed the discrete element called the close side setting (CSS). This measure is im-
method to predict wear and other operating properties portant for the size distribution of the crushed material.
in ball mills. The close side setting is controlled by a hydraulic system
To optimize the crusher liners for improved perfor- that can lower or raise the mainshaft with the mantle in
mance throughout the lifetime, it is desirable to be able order to compensate for the wear. The CSS cannot be
to predict the change of the geometry of a given crusher. measured during operation by any simple means. Dif-
The aim of this study is to develop a model for this ferent control strategies have been developed for the
purpose. wear compensation. For example the hydraulic pressure
(i.e. the thrust force supporting the spherical thrust
bearing) or power draw can be kept constant. Another
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +46-31-772-13-76. strategy is to keep the CSS constant. This will require
E-mail address: mats.lindqvist@me.chalmers.se (M. Lindqvist). the operator to stop and calibrate the CSS every now
0892-6875/$ - see front matter Ó 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.mineng.2003.08.011
1356 M. Lindqvist, C.M. Evertsson / Minerals Engineering 16 (2003) 1355–1361
and then or else the CSS will increase as the liners are In the present study the wear model described by
worn. The CSS is calibrated by stopping the crusher and Lindqvist and Evertsson (2003) has been implemented in
raising the mantle until it touches the concave. This a cone crusher. Evertsson (2000) has developed a flow
position corresponds to CSS ¼ 0. When the mantle is model and a model to simulate the breakage behaviour
lowered, CSS is computed from the cone angle of the in a cone crusher. In that model three transport mech-
liner, and the mantle position. The liner material used in anisms can occur, sliding, free-fall and squeezing. Slid-
this study is manganese steel, with 1.2% C, 12.5% Mn, ing occurs when a particle is in contact with the mantle
0.6% Si and 1.5% Cr. This type of material is well known and slides downwards. If the eccentric speed is high
for its properties in abrasive wear applications. enough the mantle surface will accelerate away from the
particle that will fall freely. Upon contact with the
closing mantle the particle will become squeezed.
3. Jaw crusher wear Evertsson and Lindqvist (2002) has also done some
work on pressure distribution in a cone crusher.
In a previous study carried out by the author, wear Laboratory test have been conducted (Evertsson and
was studied in a laboratory jaw crusher, see Fig. 3 Lindqvist, 2002) where rock material is filled in a cy-
M. Lindqvist, C.M. Evertsson / Minerals Engineering 16 (2003) 1355–1361 1357
lindrical container and crushed (see Fig. 4). The pressure 4.2. Modelling wear
was registered and a polynomial was fitted to the test
data. The polynomial relates the variational coefficient The wear model presented by Archard suggests that
(standard deviation/mean) of size distribution and the wear is proportional to sliding distance and pressure. In
compression ratio (s=b) to pressure. the previous experiments carried out by the author
From the crushing chamber geometry, the nominal (2003) it was found that wear occurs even if there is no
compression ratio ðs=bÞnom can be computed. Evertsson macroscopic sliding motion between rock material and
(2000) introduced the effective compression ratio ðs=bÞeff liner. In this case Archard’s model would yield no wear.
and the utilized ðs=bÞu to account for dynamic and filling Therefore the wear model was modified to account for
effects. The utilized compression ratio ðs=bÞu is smaller the non-sliding wear. Eq. (3) shows the model including
than the nominal since the particles are not confined in separate terms for sliding and squeezing wear and Eq.
the beginning of the stroke: ðs=bÞnom > ðs=bÞeff > ðs=bÞu . (4) shows the wear model used for squeezing wear only.
A rearrangement of the particles is necessary before any Pressure is denoted p, v sliding velocity and Dw wear per
crushing can take place. Evertsson (2000) introduced the stroke.
volumetric filling ratio gv < 1 to account for this effect Z t
1 p
(see Fig. 5 and Eqs. (1) and (2)). Dw ¼ pv dt þ ð3Þ
s W1 0 W2
seff p
¼ ð1Þ
b eff beff Dw ¼ ð4Þ
W2
s seff ð1 gv Þbeff
¼ ð2Þ W1 ¼ 208 kN/mm2 , W2 ¼ 274 kN/mm3 for material used
b u beff gv in the previous study. W1 and W2 are material parameters
By measuring the hydraulic pressure in the piston sup- unique for each combination of liner material and
porting the thrust bearing below the mantle it is possible abrasive. The difference in sliding motion between the
to estimate gv , which is governed by eccentric speed, and bed of rock material and the fixed and the moving liner,
feeding conditions. So, if ðs=bÞnom and feed size distri- is due to the angle between the liners and the direction of
bution are known it is possible to compute the pressure motion. In a cone crusher the mantle is free to roll
in the crushing chamber. against the bed of rock material. On at least one point
on the concave there is pure rolling between concave
and bed of material. In other points the relative sliding
motion is very small, since the concave is designed
nearly as an ideal cone with the generatrix of the mantle
intersecting the pivot point of the main shaft (see Fig. 2).
It is not possible to identify any ploughing grooves in
any particular direction on a worn crushing mantle or
concave. The small sliding motion that exists may cause
sliding between concave and rock, between mantle and
rock or sliding motion in the bed itself. Therefore it is
assumed that the wear mechanism is pure squeezing
wear on both inner and outer mantle.
Fig. 4. The can test. A cylindrical container with rock material is 5. Wear measurements
crushed. Different input size distributions yield different pressure re-
sponses (Evertsson, 2000).
In order to verify the wear model, measurements have
been conducted on a SANDVIK H-3000 crusher in
operation. The crusher is stopped and a probe detects
the location of the surfaces of the mantle and concave.
The device is made of a frame that is attached to the
mainshaft of the crusher (see Fig. 6). A step motor
moves a carrier by turning a threaded rod. Small step-
ping motors sends out probes. The number of pulses
sent to the stepping motor corresponds to a certain
position relatively to the measuring frame. When a
probe contacts the liner the controller stops the motor
Fig. 5. Bed of squeezed rock material. The bed needs to be confined and the number of pulses is registered. The number of
before any crushing can take place. pulses is then converted into geometric coordinates.
1358 M. Lindqvist, C.M. Evertsson / Minerals Engineering 16 (2003) 1355–1361
Fig. 10. Difference between predicted (solid) and actual pressure (da-
shed) on jaw crusher liner. Image of jaw crusher can be seen in Fig. 3. Fig. 12. Simulated axial force (N ) and power draw (W ). The axial
Simulated pressure was scaled so that it’s integral equals the measured force is the force from the hydraulic piston supporting the thrust
forces. bearing shown in Fig. 2.
1360 M. Lindqvist, C.M. Evertsson / Minerals Engineering 16 (2003) 1355–1361
9. Conclusions Archard, J.L., 1953. Contact and rubbing of flat surfaces. Journal of
Applied Physics 24 (8), 981–988.
Cleary, P.W., 1998. Predicting charge motion, power draw, segregation
A wear model for cone crushers has been imple- and wear in ball mills using discrete element methods. Minerals
mented, in order to predict the geometry of a worn Engineering 11 (11), 1061–1080.
crusher. The model was verified through measurements. Evertsson, C.M., 2000. Cone Crusher Performance, Ph.D. thesis,
Adjusting the model for good agreement of wear rate in Department of Machine and Vehicle Design, Chalmers University
the lower part of the crushers yields an under-prediction of Technology, Sweden.
Evertsson, C.M., Lindqvist, M., 2002. Power draw in cone crushers.
of wear rate in the upper part. According to plant op- Presentation at the Minerals Engineering Conference in Perth,
erators and the crusher manufacturer the trend in ca- Australia Perth, Australia, September 25–27.
pacity is well predicted for this plant, however it was not Lindqvist, M., Evertsson, C.M., 2003. Liner wear in jaw crushers.
verified through measurements. The capacity drop is Minerals Engineering 16 (1), 1–12.