Steel Balls in the Ball Mill

The kinetic energy of steel ball plays an important role in the ball mill. No matter what kind of movement the steel ball do, the kinetic energy of moving steel ball is always changing. Now, let’s analyze the change of kinetic energy in a cycle of movement.

The mechanical energy of steel ball is zero, when it stays motionless at the throat of ball mill. When the ball mill raises the steel ball up depending on the friction with cylinder, the ball starts to move, and has kinetic energy. In this process, the grid power is transferred into the mechanical energy of the ball mill. This mechanical energy will be passed to steel ball through the movement. When the cylinder of Ball Mill brought the ball to the highest position, the ball will get the maximum gravitational energy. Simultaneously, the steel balls still have the initial kinetic energy. When the steel balls fall or slip down from the highest position, the gravitational potential energy begins to decrease, and the kinetic energy begins to increase. In this process, the mechanical energy of steel balls is transferred into kinetic energy. Before the moment the steel ball falls against ore block, the mechanical energy of the steel ball is completely converted to kinetic energy. The kinetic energy released by the striking force acts Nugget. In this process, the steel balls deform, crack and expand the capacity as well as the formation of new surface. So far is the end of a movement cycle of the steel balls. The steel balls will be in the lowest position of the cylinder, and gravitational potential energy is zero. Then, they will be taken up again by the cylinder to start the second cycle of movement. They will repeat the cycle again and again.

We can see from the change of energy of steel balls in a cycle that from the physical point of view, steel balls are the carrier of crushing effect, which are used to impact and break the ore; in terms of the transference of energy, the steel ball is the medium of energy transferring. Steel balls transfer the mechanical energy of cylinder into their own energy, and then transfer to ore by crushing and impacting. So, the reason why we say steel balls are the medium of grinding ore is that they are the medium to transfer the energy and crush ore.