Calibration of breakage models through laborative tests and weibull analysis

Today’s society relies strongly on the mining industry. In this industry, crushing is an essential step of the process of extracting materials. Crushing is a part of the comminution process, where stones are broken down into smaller fragments. One of the key products for this process is the cone crusher. This machine consists of a mantle, which moves eccentrically against two cone surfaces. Along the surface of the mantle parallel to the inner cone, the thickness gradually increases. This thickness is known as the “stroke” or “throw”, which also can be seen as the dimension of the rock’s compression. Hence, the size of the gap decreases, which allows the rocks to break down into smaller pieces as it travels along the mantle through compressive crushing. Each area where the stone gets broken apart is known as a “crushing zone”. The amount of crushing zones increases with the speed of the mantle. The purpose of this thesis project is to evaluate whether weibull analysis is applicable for calibrating breakage models, based on the mechanical properties of the material being crushed. This can be achieved by gathering data through compressive crushing tests. In this project, the tests consist of single-particle breakage tests. The goal is to propose a standardized method, which results in sufficient calibration based on the material and sought after end product