Design, construction and operation of a ball mill on a pilot scale

Abstract

The type of device that was built and studied in this research was used in 10,000 BC in Pompeii and used the strength of a man for its operation, currently this device is modernized and more efficient. The purpose of a ball mill is the fragmentation of solid materials into smaller granules, usually its use is limited to the grinding of non-plastic (or hard) materials. The objective of this work is to present the project construction and operation of a low cost ball mill for the fragmentation of materials, using in its development reusable materials. The motivation comes from the need for equipment to grind samples to be used in the Chemical Engineering laboratory, at the Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM). The study of each type of mill was carried out accompanied by theoretical calculations for dimensioning and computer simulation so that the possible performance of the equipment can be closely seen. The different types of materials in each element of the equipment were also analyzed, looking for the best cost-benefit ratio in the project. The material used in the drum was polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the spheres were made of glass, the welded iron structure and the electric motor used, was an ergometric mat. The material used to be milled was phosphate rock, with different granulometries, which can be used, for example in the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers. The results were quite satisfactory, reaching a reduction of up to 96.95% of the initial size of the ground particles.