Introduction

Solids may have to be reduced to smaller sizes to meet commercial specifications,

Tumbling mill

Parts of Tumbling mill

Tumbling mills are composed of several parts that work together to grind and reduce the
size of materials. The main parts of a tumbling mill are:

1. Feed and discharge. The feed is the material that is introduced into the mill for
grinding, while the discharge is the ground material that exits the mill. The feed
and discharge are usually located at opposite ends of the mill.
2. Shell. The shell is the cylindrical structure that houses the grinding media and the
material to be ground. It is usually made of steel and is lined with rubber or other
materials to reduce wear.
3. Grinding media. The grinding media are the steel balls, rods, or pebbles that are
used to grind the material. They come in different sizes and shapes depending on
the application.
4. Drive and motor. The drive is the mechanism that rotates the mill, while the motor
provides the power for the drive. The drive and motor are usually located at one
end of the mill.
5. Liners. The liners are used to protect the shell from wear and tear caused by the
grinding media and the material being ground. They are usually made of rubber or
other materials.
6. Trunnions. The trunnions are the parts that support the mill on its bearings. They
are located at both ends of the mill.

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 7. Classifiers. The classifiers are used to separate the ground material into different
sizes. They are usually located near the discharge end of the mill.

Overall, these parts work together to grind the material and reduce its size, while protecting
the mill from wear and tear caused by the grinding media and the material being ground.

Figure. Diagram of a Tumbling mill

Working principle
Depending on different grinding media and structure, there are different types of tumbling
mills. It can be operated in batch or continuous mode.

Rod mill uses metal rods as the grinding media, whereas ball mill uses metal, rubber or
wooden balls as the grinding media. Pebble mill uses flint pebbles, porcelain or zircon

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sphere to grind particles. Tube mills have a cylindrical shell , with 2 to 5 times longer hold
up time compared to ball mill.

The feed can be dry or a suspension in water, which is less power consuming. The material
to be ground is fed into the mill through a hopper or conveyor belt. The mill consists of a
drum, which rotates on its axis. As the drum rotates, the grinding media also rotate and
collide with the material to be ground. There can also be grinding media of different size
in the same mill for increased efficiency.

In a ball mill, balls are picked up by the mill wall and carried with the wall and fall to
bottom. Centrifugal force is responsible for keeping the ball sin contact the wall and each
other during upward motion. These balls occupy almost half the volume of the mill. Most
grinding occurs due to impact, when the free-falling balls strike the bottom. Faster speed
means greater capacity of mills, but a very high speed will cause the balls to stick to walls
and ‘centrifuge’. This speed is called the critical speed.

Operating speed<critical speed (usually 65-80%)

In rod mills, reduction occurs by rolling compression and attrition as rods slide downward
and roll over one another. It is and intermediate grinder, taking product from crusher and
reducing it to 10 mesh size and sends it to ball mill.

Applications

Tumbling mills are commonly used in the mining industry to grind materials into smaller
particles. The main application of tumbling mills is in the production of fine particles and
the reduction of particle size. Here are some common applications of tumbling mills. Some
common applications of tumbling mills include:

1. Ore grinding: Tumbling mills are used in the mining industry to grind ore to a
desired particle size for mineral extraction.
2. Cement manufacturing: Tumbling mills are used to grind clinker, a primary
component of cement, to produce the fine powder that is used to make concrete.
3. Chemical processing: Tumbling mills are used to reduce the size of chemicals, such
as pigments, and to mix different materials.

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 4. Food processing: Tumbling mills can be used to reduce the size of food products,
such as grains or spices, or to mix ingredients in food processing.
5. Pharmaceutical processing: Tumbling mills are used in the pharmaceutical industry
to reduce the particle size of drugs and to mix different ingredients.

Overall, tumbling mills are versatile equipment that can be used in a wide range of
industries for particle size reduction and mixing applications.

Attrition mill

Description of parts of attrition mill:

Attrition mill is a type of grinding device. Grinders are used when it’s needed to further
reduce the size of the products of crushers. Grinding media refers to the objects used to
refine materials and reduce sizes. As grinding media, attrition mill uses steel, ceramic,
plastic etc. depending on the application. There are several types of attrition mills that are
used. Two of the most common types are: single disc mill and double disc mill.

Single disc mill: In this type of mill one disc rotates while the other stays stationary.

Double disc mill: In this type of attrition mill two discs rotate in the opposite direction.

Attrition mill consists of different parts. They are described below:

• Drum: The drum is the cylindrical container that holds the material being processed.
It is usually made of steel and has a series of holes or slots through which the
processed material can exit.
• Rotating paddles or disks: The paddles or disks are mounted on a central shaft and
rotate at high speed. They are designed to generate a shearing and impacting force
on the material, which causes it to break down into smaller particles.
• Feed hopper: The feed inlet is the opening through which the material to be
processed enters the drum. It is usually located at the top of the drum.

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 • Discharge outlet: The discharge outlet is the opening through which the processed
material exits the drum. It is usually located at the bottom of the drum.
• Drive motor: The drive motor is the power source that rotates the paddles or disks.
It is usually located outside of the drum and connected to the central shaft via a belt
or gear mechanism.
• Control system: The control system regulates the speed of the paddles or disks and
other operational parameters such as feed rate, material flow, and temperature. It is
typically operated by a computer or other electronic device.

Working principle

The attrition mill utilizes the hammermill principle to some degree, causing fragmentation
through impact. In addition, it also involves a shearing and cutting action. The process of
grinding takes place between two discs which have replaceable surfaces that wear out over
time. One or both of these discs can be rotated.

Single disc attrition mills are equipped with an outer stator (stationary) milling disc, and
an inner runner (rotating) milling disc that adjusts to vary the gap between the discs.
Material enters the gap through the center of the outer disc, and is ground between the discs
as it travels radially by centrifugal force created by the rotating disc. Discs of single runner
mill turn at 350 to 700 r/min.

The working principle of a double disc attrition mill involves the two pairs of discs rotating
at high speeds in opposite directions. The particles to be ground and sheared are fed into
the gap between the two pairs of discs, which causes them to be ground and sheared
repeatedly between the discs.

The speed of the rotating discs and the gap between the discs can be adjusted to control the
size of the particles that are produced. Discs of double runner mill rotate at 1200 to 7000
r/min.

For fine grinding, both impact and shearing forces must be present. In attrition mills,
impaction is caused by constant impinging of the grinding medium, due to irregular
movement.

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Cooling of the disc might be needed. This is done with water or refrigerated brine solution.

Figure: Forces involved in attrition milling

Application

Attrition mills are used for variety of purposes. Some of their uses are listed below:

• It is used where size reduction by impact force (hammer mills or pin mills) or by
screen classification (screen classifying cutters) cannot be achieved. For example:
seeds, grains, spices, tobacco, roots, cellulose, fibers, minerals, metal powders and
other products.
• They are used to homogenize pigments, ceramics and food products.
• Preparing colloidal suspensions and emulsions, such as in the production of
cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
• Attrition mills are used in the food industry for the production of food powders,
such as flour, spices, and sugar.
• Attrition mills are used in the pharmaceutical industry for the production of drug
powders and tablet formulations.
• Attrition mills are used in the chemical industry for the production of pigments,
dyes, and other fine chemicals.
• Attrition mills are used in the mining industry for the grinding and mixing of
mineral ores.

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• Attrition mills are used in the ceramic industry for the grinding and milling of
ceramic materials.
• Attrition mills are used in the paper industry for the grinding of wood chips and
other fibrous materials.

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Reference

1.McCabe, W.L. et al. (2001) Unit operations of Chemical Engineering. Boston:

2.https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/6544

3.https://www.beyonddiscovery.org/size-reduction/tumbling-mills.html

4. https://www.unionprocess.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/01361-UPS-Attrition-
Mill-Grinding-White-Paper-vF.pdf

5. Rostami, A. A., & Lashgari, E. (2017). A review of the vertical roller mill attrition
grinding process. Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, 38(6), 393-407.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08827508.2017.1334285