PJSC Donetsk Metal Rolling Plant (Donetsk, Ukraine):

Serov A. I., Chief Engineer

Ugarov Stary Oskol Technological Institute, National University of Science and Technology «MISiS» (Stary Oskol, Russia):
Smyrnov Y. N., Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, en_smirnov@i.ua
Skliar V. A., Associate Professor, Candidate of Engineering Sciences

South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University (Chelyabinsk, Russia):
Belevitin V. A., Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences

The full-scale tests results performed with a view to determine grinding balls hardness and diameter effect upon their specific consumption and ferrous quartzites grinding process efficiency are presented. The studies were conducted at the Processing Plants of the Yuzhny Ore Mining and Processing Complex in mills of drum type in accordance with the specifically developed methodology. 30-mm diameter grinding balls of hardness category 3, as well as 40-mm diameter grinding balls of hardness category 4, produced at the Donetsk Metalworks ball-rolling mill were used as the test samples. 40-mm diameter grinding balls of hardness category 3 from other producers were used as reference specimens. As a result of the check measurements, it was established that grinding balls are uniformly worn and retain spherical shape, which has a positive effect on grinding process efficiency and consumption of grinding balls. The obtained results indicate that the application of 30-mm diameter grinding balls of hardness category 3 increases grinding process efficiency by 1.37 %, but at the same time, consumption of balls per one ton of concentrate is increased by 1.5%. If 40-mm diameter grinding balls of hardness category 4 are used, grinding efficiency is increased by 3.1 % and balls consumption per ton of concentrate is decreased by 8.83 % in comparison with the reference case. With that, the key production indicators and the produced concentrate grade remained at the same level. Thus, the results of the conducted industrial tests corroborated the cost effectiveness of the application of grinding balls of higher hardness category, in particular, 40-mm diameter grinding balls of hardness category 4, produced at the Donetsk Metalworks.

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