Crushing characteristics and performance evaluation of iron ore in a cone crusher: A numerical study

In this study, the DEM (Discrete element method) bonded particle model is constructed to simulate the crushing process of iron ore based on the Apollonian sphere packing (ASP) method in a cone crusher. The effects of operation parameters (eccentric speed (omega), closed side setting (lcss) and eccentric angle (alpha)) on the macroscopic characteristics (throughput, specific energy, crushing rate, product size distribution) and microscopic characteristics (mechanical behaviors between sub-particles and between meta-particles) are systematically investigated, and their quantitative correlations are established. Meanwhile, the corresponding mechanisms have been identified by analyzing the circulation time. The results show that with alterations in operation parameters, the variation trend between production size distribution and crushing rate is consistent, while opposite trend between throughput and crushing rate is formed. The crushing rate is higher and the mantle wear is more severe when the normal/tangential forces exerted on particles are larger. The effects of the eccentric speed on the residence time of particles in the crushing chamber can be indicated by its influence on the number of circulations, while the effects of the closed side setting and eccentric angle can be reflected by changing the volume of the crushing chamber. The increase of particle residence time is beneficial for improving the crushing rate, while it simultaneously reduces the throughput.