ENVIRONMENT-DEPENDENT BREAKAGE RATES IN BALL-MILLING

Breakage rates of particles in a ball mill change with instantaneous p article size distribution in the mill. Slurry density and the presence of a grinding aid also affect breakage rates substantially. The effec t of these variables, which constitute the mill environment, on breaka ge rates has been quantified with a unique estimation method known as the G-H method. This method enables the estimation of breakage rates o f all size intervals by a simple linear graphical scheme. In general, breakage rates of coarse particles increase in the presence of fine pa rticles, while the rates of fine particles remain relatively unaffecte d. Grinding aid restores the fluidity of the solid-liquid mixture even at very high percent solids and so the rate of grinding returns to 'n ormal' from 'erratic' behavior.