Ball and Rod Mill :

Capacities and Reduction

ratios
Presented by Anupriya Bisht (2201MM07) and
Tanvi Mishra (2201MM33)
Ball Mill Introduction
There are three main stages to mineral processing in the mining industry. These are:

o Comminution (crushing and grinding).

o Beneficiation (separation and concentration).

o Smelting and refining.

• Ball mills are employed in the comminution stage as grinding machines (size reduction). The purpose of grinders in the
mining industry is to reduce the feed material size in order to liberate the minerals from the barren rock. Ball mills are the
most common grinding machine employed in the mining industry.

• If a ball mill uses little or no water during grinding, it is a ‘dry’ mill. If a ball mill uses water during grinding, it is a ‘wet’ mill.

• A typical ball mill will have a drum length that is 1 or 1.5 times the drum diameter. Ball mills with a drum length to diameter
ratio greater than 1.5 are referred to as tube mills.

• Ball mills may be primary or secondary grinders. Primary grinders are fed from crushers such as a jaw crusher. Secondary
grinders are fed from other grinders e.g. a rod mill.

• Ball mills are usually either of the grate (diaphragm) or overflow type.
Ball Mill
Ball Mill Components
Ball mills consist of the following components:
•Inlet – crushed ore is fed to the ball mill through the inlet. A scoop ensures
the feed to the mill is constant.
•Discharge – reduced feed exits the mill through the discharge.

•Drum – the drum is the cylindrical casing of the ball mill. The inside of the
drum is fitted with manganese steel alloy plates (‘armour’) that protect
the steel shell from abrasion; it is also possible to use rubber as armour
rather than manganese steel.
•Ring Gear – a gear ring installed on the outer periphery of the drum.

•Electric Motor – a motor used to rotate the drum. The motor drive train
leads to a gearbox than a ring gear. The motor is usually fitted with
a variable speed drive (VSD) to control the rpm of the ball mill.
•Gearbox – used for speed reduction from the motor to the ball mill.

•Balls – usually manufactured from manganese alloy steel, but the

material depends upon for what material the mill will grind (chrome steel
alloy and rubber also available). The size of the balls depends upon the
size of the drum, typical ball sizes are two to three inches in diameter
(four-inch balls are also possible).
How Ball Mill Works ?
 The following process description is based upon a ball mill used in the hard rock mining industry for
liberating minerals from ore, but the operating principle for ball mills used in other industries is the
same.
 Crushed ore is fed to the ball mill through the inlet; a scoop (small screw conveyor) ensures the feed is
constant.
 For both wet and dry ball mills, the ball mill is charged to approximately 33% with balls (range 30-
45%). Pulp (crushed ore and water) fills another 15% of the drum’s volume so that the total volume of
the drum is 50% charged. Pulp is usually 75% solid (crushed ore) and 25% water; pulp is also known
as ‘slurry’.
 An electric motor is used to rotate the ball mill. As the ball mill rotates, the balls ‘stick’ to the inner
surface of the drum due to the centrifugal force created within the drum. At a certain angle, the weight
of the balls overcomes the centrifugal force holding them against the drum and they begin to tumble
back to the centre line of the ball mill (this area is known as the ‘toe’). In this manner, the ore is reduced
in size by both attrition (ore rubbing against other bits of ore) and impact (balls impacting with the
ore).
 The ore moves gradually through the mill then exits through the discharge port. The discharge port may
be covered by a grate to prevent oversized ore exiting the mill, or it may have no grate (overflow type
ball mill).
 As the balls wear due to abrasion, they are replaced with new balls (‘green’ balls).
 If large particle sizes are retrieved from the ball mill, the process is known as a ‘coarse grind’. If smaller
particle sizes are retrieved from the ball mill, the process is known as a ‘fine grind’.
How ball mill works ?
Different types of ball mills
1. Grate discharge ball mill
The grate discharge ball mill can discharge material through a sieve plate,
with the advantage of the low height of the discharge port, which can
make the material pass quickly. Under the same condition, it has a higher
capacity and can save more energy than other types of mills.
The product has a coarser particle size and is usually used in the first
grinding stage. It is better to select a grate discharge ball mill when the
required discharge size is 0.2 ~ 0.3 mm.

2. Overflow discharge ball mill

The overflow discharge ball mill is designed with no sieve plate so that
the ore pulp can be discharged directly without filtration. It is very simple
in structure and convenient for maintenance.
Overflow type can grind ores into the size under 0.2 mm, so it is very
suitable for the second grinding system. The capacity is about 15%
lower than that of the grate discharge ball mill of the same specification,
and the grinding media loaded is also less.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Ball Mill
Advantages:
•It has strong adaptability to materials and can be made into different sizes of mills to meet the requirements of
various production capacities.
•Large crushing ratio, easy to adjust product fineness, and finer product particle size.
•Adopt larger size rolling bearings, resulting in low friction, low energy consumption, and a short start-up time of
the mill.
•Ball mill has no inertia impact, which ensures the efficient operation of the equipment and reduces the downtime
of the equipment.

Disadvantages:
•The ball mill grinds fine materials and is prone to excessive crushing.
•Due to the fine size of the output material, it is not suitable for metal beneficiation and gravity separation
production lines.
ROD MILLS
Tubular tumbling mills loaded with rods as the grinding media are used for primary grinding of rocks and
minerals. Rods are placed parallel to the length of the mill, their length being about 150 mm shorter than the
inside length of mills. The grinding action for size reduction of particles is almost similar to ball mills, but in this
case the entire length of a rod is responsible for breakage of particles spread along the length of the mill.

The rods fall from a height and roll down the mill, so the rods impart an impact force as well as an abrasive
action. As the feed enters the mill at one end of the mill, there is always a tendency for accumulation at that
feed end, so that the initial size reduction starts more or less at the feed end. With time this action is more
spread out along the entire length of the mill. The product size from a rod mill is much more uniform than a
ball mill, but the overall size is much coarser. Hence, a rod mill generally precedes a ball mill in a grinding
circuit, especially where a fine size product is required.
BALL MILLS DESIGN
The mill lengths are more or less guided by the length of rods. The maximum rod length conveniently used is about
6.6 m. The lengths of the rods are about 100–150 mm shorter than the inside mill length.
length-to-diameter ratio of mills ranges from 1.2 to 2.3.

The largest length mill is around 7 m. The ratio of the length of rod to mill diameter should be greater than 1.25 to avoid
the risk of rod tangling. The recommended ratio is 1.4 to 1.6.

The cross-section of the rods is generally circular, but rods having square and hexagonal sections have been used. Rods
having cross sections other than round do not have any particular advantage on performance. Rods with round sections
are possibly easier to handle.

Liners protect the rod mill shell and are made of rubber or steel and are bolted to the shell with or without rubber
backing. The liners are 65–75 mm thick. The liners at the feed and discharge ends are also made of steel but have smooth
surfaces. The headliner and wearing surface could be vertical or inclined as the materials charged into the mill have a
tendency to accumulate at the head end and swells. This promotes greater wear to the headliner and also to the rods,
which are found to wear down unevenly to almost a fine point in extreme cases. A general observation is that the liner
wear in rod mills is much more severe than in ball mills.
.
Due to relatively uniform coarse product size and low slimes, rod mill products have been generally used as feed
material for ball mills. The comminution circuits are generally arranged to receive crushed ore from a secondary crusher
first to rod mills and then to ball mills. The product from the rod mill is either fed directly to a ball mill or to a classifier.
The coarser fraction is then fed to the ball mill. The rod mills are normally operated in open circuit and ball mills
normally are operated in closed circuit.

Rod mills use steel rods with a carbon content of 0.8% ~ 1% and a diameter of 50 ~ 100 mm as the
grinding media, and the medium filling rate is 35% ~ 45%.

Steel rods are mainly made of several materials:

1.High carbon steel: After the professional technology straightening and quenching processing process, a
high carbon steel rod has high hardness, excellent performance, good wear resistance, and outstanding
quality.

2.42CrMo steel: 42CrMo steel material is high strength steel. Improved based on 40Cr steel, the wear
resistance is about 1.3~1.5 times that of 40Cr, but the price is only 1.1 times that of 40Cr.
Rod Mill
WORKING PRINCIPLE OF ROD MILL:
Power Transmission:
• The rod mill is powered by a motor that drives the rotation of the cylinder.
Rotary Motion of the Cylinder:
• The cylinder of the rod mill undergoes rotary motion due to the power transmitted from the motor.
Grinding Medium:
• Inside the cylinder, there are proper grinding media, in this case, steel bars. These steel bars are the means by
which the raw material is crushed and ground during the milling process.
Action of Grinding Media:
• Under the combined action of centrifugal force (resulting from the rotating motion of the cylinder) and frictional
force, the grinding media (steel bars) are lifted to a certain height and then fall, creating a dropping or leaking drop
falling state.
Material Crushing:
• Raw materials are fed into the cylinder while it is in motion. The grinding media within the cylinder crush and grind
the raw material.
Discharge of Processed Material:
• As a result of the grinding process, mineral products are generated. These products are discharged out of the
machine, typically through overflow, and are continuously expelled to proceed to the next stage of processing
operations.
Rod mill
According to the discharging way, rod mills can be divided into three types:
center and side discharge type, end and side discharge type, and overflow type.
End and Side Discharge Rod Mill:
• Discharge Configuration: The ground material is discharged through both the end and the sides of
the mill.
• Application: Generally used for dry grinding, but can also be used for wet grinding.
• Particle Size: Produces relatively coarse product particles, typically in the range of 5 to 2 mm.

Center and Side Discharge Rod Mill:

• Discharge Configuration: The mill is fed through the shaft necks at both ends, and ore pulp is
discharged through a port in the center of the cylinder.
• Application: Can be used for both wet and dry grinding.
• Particle Size: Results in a coarser particle size, mainly used in the aggregate industry.

Overflow Discharge Rod Mill:

• Discharge Configuration: The mill is fed through one shaft neck and discharges materials through the
other shaft neck. The diameter of the discharge shaft neck is larger than the feeding port, creating a
gradient for ore pulp flow.
• Particle Size: Produces a finer product compared to the other two types, with a particle size typically
in the range of 2 to 0.5 mm.
• Application: Often used to grind products and then supply them to ball mills.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ROD MILL

Advantages:

•Product with uniform particle size, lighter crushing, and less grit and slime.
•Good sealing, avoiding dust and noise pollution to the environment, green and environmental protection.
•Simple configuration and low cost, which can save investment in dust removal equipment.
•The energy consumption of the equipment is low, saving users a lot of expenses.

Disadvantages:

•Rod mill products are rough and are mostly used for rough grinding of ore, which is the first stage of grinding.
Reduction Ratio and Capacities
• Capacities: The capacity of a ball mill is the maximum amount of material that it
can process in a specified time period. It is usually expressed in terms of tons of
material per hour or other relevant units.
• Reduction Ratio: The reduction ratio in a ball mill is the ratio of the initial particle
size to the final particle size after grinding. It indicates how much the material is
reduced in size during the milling process. A higher reduction ratio generally
means more effective grinding.
• Reduction Ratio=Product Size/Feed Size
Feed Size: The initial size of the material entering the mill.
Product Size: The final size of the particles after the grinding process.
REDUCTION RATIO FOR ROD MILLS
The reduction ratio, R, in rod mills varies from 2 and 20 depending on the characteristics of the ore. The usual
reduction ratio is about 8.
The reduction ratio is a function of length and diameter of the mill. The optimum reduction ratio, RRO, can be
written as

The capacity of rod mills will depend on the tonnes of the finished product of required size produced per unit time
and thus will be a function of
•mill characteristics, i.e., length, diameter, speed of rotation, lifters,
•feed (ore) characteristics, i.e., soft, brittle or hard,
•initial and final size of the ore, i.e., the reduction ratio.

The capacity will also depend on the kinetic energy available for transfer from the rods to the feed during its passage
through the mill. Under a given load and size requirement, the capacity of a rod mill is, therefore, proportional to the
length and diameter. It is usually considered
Differences between
Ball Mill and Rod Mill
S.No. Differences Ball Mill Rod Mill

1. Different capacity and granularity The capacity of ball mills is The capacity of rod mills is
0.65 ~ 615t/h, and the 0.62 ~ 180t/h, and the
discharge particle size of discharge particle size is
the ground material is 0.147 ~ 0.833mm
0.074 ~ 0.4mm.

2. Different grinding media Ball mills use steel ball Rod mills use steel rods
with a diameter of less with a carbon content of
than 100mm as the 0.8% ~ 1% and a diameter
grinding media, and the of 50 ~ 100 mm as the
medium filling rate is 40% grinding media, and the
to 50%. medium filling rate is 35%
~ 45%.
S.No. Differences Ball Mill Rod Mill

3. Different cylinder proportions The cylinder length to The cylinder length to

diameter ratio of ball mills diameter ratio of rod mills
is small, usually around 1. is generally between 1.5 ~
The rotating speed of the 2.0, and the inner surface
cylinder of the ball mill is of the lining plate on the
generally higher than that end cover is in a vertical
of the rod mill of the plane state.
same specification.

4. Different equipment performance The grinding medium of The grinding medium of

the ball mill is in point the rod mill is in linear
contact with the ore, contact with the
which has both impact ore. Most of the coarse
force and grinding force. particles are ground first,
The production capacity is and a small part of the
high, and the fineness of fine particles are ground.
the material is high. The product is rough
Conclusion
In conclusion, rod mills and ball mills are integral components in the mineral processing industry, each serving
specific roles in the comminution process. Rod mills are characterized by their long, cylindrical design and are
particularly adept at coarse grinding, making them suitable for various applications, including those requiring
dry grinding. The various discharge configurations, such as end and side discharge or center and side discharge,
offer flexibility to meet specific processing needs.

On the other hand, ball mills, with their spherical grinding media, are commonly used for fine grinding
applications. The cascading motion of the grinding balls within the rotating cylinder facilitates efficient
reduction of particle size, making ball mills well-suited for both wet and dry grinding operations.

The choice between rod mills and ball mills depends on the nature of the ore, the desired product characteristics,
and the specific requirements of the processing plant. Rod mills may be preferred for coarser grinding and
handling larger feed sizes, while ball mills are often chosen for finer grinding and producing a narrower particle
size distribution.