Title: What is Comminution
1What is Comminution
From Wikipedia Comminution describes the
movement of the particle size distribution
(grains, drops, bubbles) into a range of finer
particle sizes
2Comminution Critical in Mineral Processing
grinding
32/17
Comminution in Landscape Dynamics
Glacial abrasion
Debris Flow
weathering
Saltation
Sklar and Dietrich
Down Stream Fining
x
Sternbergs law
4A Thing to Know
For a Given Energy What is the Reduction in
Particle Size The Comminution Laws
Main Result Suggest How Sternberg law for down
stream Fining could be modified by Mineral
Engineering Results
5The Comminution Laws
6/17
From Kelly and Spottiswood Intro Min Proc, Wiley,
1982
Consider a simplistic comminution operation that
for each event reduces the particle size by a
factor of 1/2
67/17
A general Law
For general case xan average part. size
Rittinger (1867)
Ritinger works best at describing Abrasion- Kick
at describing crushing
Walker suggested a two parameter law
7Question What is relation of
Kick
Rittinger
wear
Set E x (distance down stream) and x D
particle size
Is Sternberg
Kick
An alternative
Ritinger
Could it make a difference
8Sternberg-Kick Law
Finding in river headwaters
Log-log plot of representative particle size
(mm) vs. distance downstream, reproduced from
Fig 2 in Adams (1979).
Rittinger Law
Modified Law Suggested by Adams Wear 1/Distance
9Quartz/Schist Ratio
Sternberg-Kick Law
Modified Law Suggested by Adams Wear 1/Distance
Rittinger Law
10Sklar shows very good comparison With lab
simulations of fining
a is wear
What is n?