Experimental Study on Multibody Friction and Wear Properties of Liner in Ball Mills

Friction and wear are the primary factors for the failure of liners, which affects the lifting capacity and milling cost in ball mills. However, there are no effective methods to measure and evaluate the friction and wear behavior of the liner. Therefore, it is vital to understand the friction and wear mechanisms of liners in ball mills. In this article, the multibody friction and wear properties of a liner in the fracture region and grinding region were investigated using an impact friction test rig and a rolling friction test rig. Three types of evaluation indicators, namely, the coefficient of impact friction (u(i) ), coefficient of rolling friction (u(r) ) and 3D morphology, were applied to describe the friction and wear behavior. Results showed that adding ore powder results in an increase in the impact friction coefficient from 0.041 to 0.042 and an increase in the rolling friction coefficient from 0.342 to 0.611 at a contact load of W = 300 N center dot rpm. However, the addition of slurry leads to an increase in the impact friction coefficient from 0.041 to 0.045 and a decrease in the rolling friction coefficient from 0.342 to 0.112 at a contact load of W = 300 N center dot rpm. Additionally, the 3D morphology of the wear region shows that the wear of liners in ball mills will generate plastic deformation, scratches, and abrasive behavior. Wear of the liner in dry conditions is faster than that in wet conditions and adding ore powder or slurry in ball mills will be helpful to reduce liner consumption.