Grindability and Hardness tests

1 Introduction:
- This article is intended to present the main grindability and hardness tests used in the industry.
It is obvious that these tests are widely used in the cement industry for several reasons:
Sizing/dimensioning of new installations and improvement of existing installations.
A great number of grindability and hardness tests have been developed by Grinding Engineers, Research
-
offices
of Universities, cement producers or cement plants suppliers.
- This paper will develop some of these tests.
The first page of this presentation is dedicated to the Grindability Tests. At the end of the page, a link takes
-
you to
the "Hardness Tests" page.
But before, it is necessary to explain the difference between grindability and hardness because both are
-
often mixed up.
2 Grindability definition:
Dictionnaries on the Web have the following definition: "Relative ease with which a material can be
-
ground".
An other definition can be: "Grindability is the measure of specific energy consumption required to
-
reduce a certain
mass of material from a given fresh and initial size up to a defined product size".
- Whatever the definition, one thing is certain, the grindability of a material is dependant of a lot of factors.
For example, clinker grindability depends on its chemical composition and the conditions of burning and
-
cooling.
Everybody knows that alite (C3S) cracks much more easily than belite (C2S), then a clinker with a high
-
lime
saturation will have a better grindability.
3 Hardness definition:
The usual definition seen on the Web is: "Hardness is the property of a material that enables it to resist
-
plastic
deformation, usually by penetration".
An other definition can be: "Resistance of a material to deformation, indentation, or penetration by means
-
such
as abrasion, drilling, impact, scratching, and/or wear".
- The concept of hardness is different from the grindability.
A material can be very hard having a good grindability. At the contrary, a material can be very soft having
-
a bad
grindability.
4 Grindability tests:
4.1 Bond grindability test:
- The test developed by Fred C. Bond in 1952/1961 is widely used worldwide.
4.1.1 Machinery required:
- Mill diameter 305 mm (12") and length 305 mm (12") with rounded corners and a smooth internal lining.
- Speed of rotation: 70 rpm.
- Ball charge:
43 balls of
36,83 mm
67 balls of
29,72 mm
10 balls of 25,4
mm
71 balls of
19,05 mm
94 balls of
15,94 mm
total: 20,125 kg
of balls
- balance and sieves are obviously required.
- Some pictures of laboratory Bond mills here below:
 (From Edemet: www

(From Bico: www.b

(From metcon Labo

metcon.com.au)

www.thecementgrindingoffice.com
4.1.2 Sample required:
- Initially, a few kilos of representative fresh feed are required
- The sample is passed through a #6 Mesh sieve, i.e. 3,35 mm.
- From the sample 100% passing on 3,35 mm, 700 ml are collected and go into the mill.
4.1.3 Test procedure:
- A first cycle is started, the mill realizes 100 revolutions and is stopped.
The ground material is removed from the mill and is sieved on the selected test mesh screen
-
(for example #100 or 106µ).
- The undersized fraction is weighed.
The oversized fraction returns again into the mill with a fresh quantity of 3,35 mm passing material
-
corresponding to the
weight of the 106µm passing material in order to get 700 ml of material into the mill.
- An other cycle is ready to begin.
But before, it is necessary to specify the number of revolutions. It is calculated taking into account a
-
theorical 250%
circulating load. It means that the Rejects (oversized fraction)/Fines (undersized fraction) ratio is equal
to 2,5.
That also means that the feed/fines ratio is equal to 3,5 and the undersized fraction represents 28,6% of
the fresh feed.
After the second cycle, the same procedure is repeated until the weight of undersized product per mill
-
revolution reaches
the equilibrium, i.e. be a constant value.
- Generally, 6 to 12 cycles are necessary to achieve the test.
4.1.4 Results:
The average of net undersized mass per revolution from the last three cycles is taken to calculate Gbp
-
which is the
ball mill grindability:

- The work index (Wi) is then calculated with the following formula:

where Pf = test sieve product in µ,

Gbp = the mill grindability in gr/rev,
P80 = sieve with 80% of passing of the product and
F80 = sieve with 80% of passing of the feed.
4.1.5 Usual values of the work Index:

4.2 Hardgrove test:

- This test was developed in the 1930's.
The target was to measure empirically the relative difficulty of grinding coal to obtain the required
-
particle size
for complete combustion in the pulverized coal boiler furnace.
- Later on the use of the Hardgrove grindability Test (HGI) has been has extended to other materials.
4.2.1 Machinery required:
- The test is performed in laboratory mill which is corresponding to the ASTM D409 standard.
- Link: http://www.lixingfeng.com/doc/ASTM_D409-02.pdf
The grinder consists of a bowl mill with a ± 29 kg weight on the upper part and a grinding track with
-
8 balls of 1 inch
in the lower part.
- balance and sieves are obviously required.
- Some pictures of laboratory Hardgrove mills here below:

(From Tr
trade2cn.
 (From A
acarp.com

www.thecementgrindingoffice.com
4.2.2 Sample required:
- Initially, a few kilos of representative fresh feed are required with a maximum size of 4,75 mm.
- From this sample, 50gr between 0,6 and 1,18 mm are prepared.
4.2.3 Test procedure:
The 50 gr sample is introduced in the circular path. 8 balls are placed above the material and the upper
-
grinding
element is inserted onto the balls. The mill drive is started up.
- The mill performs 60 rotations.
- After that, the ground coal is screened carefully on a 0,075 mm sieve.
- The undersize and oversize are weighed with accuracy of 0,01 g.
The total weight of screening test product can differ from the original weight at most by 0,75 g for
-
the test to be agreed.
4.2.4 Results:
- This undersized weight is converted to a HGI value using the following formula:

with m = mass of the undersized test product in grams.

- Greater is HGI and easier is the material grindability.
- HGI can be transformed into Bond work index using the following formulas:

(proposed by Bond
in 1951)

(modified by Bond
in 1961)

(proposed by McIntyre and

Plitt, 1980 for Wi > 8,5)

(proposed by
Hower, 1992 for
carbonates)

- The most used of these formulas is the one modified in 1961 by Bond and is expressed in kWh/sh.tons (short
4.2.5 Usual values of the HGI:
4.3 Zeisel test:
- This test was developed in year 1953.
- The apparatus is similar to the HGI test.
4.3.1 Machinery required:
- The test is performed in laboratory mill which is corresponding to the ASTM D409 standard.
- balance and sieves are obviously required.
- A view of the laboratory Zeisel mill here below:

4.3.2 Sample required:

- Initially, a few kilos of representative fresh feed are required.
- From this sample, 30gr between 0,8 and 1 mm are prepared.
4.3.3 Test procedure:
The 30 gr sample is introduced in the circular path. 8 balls are placed above the material and the
-
upper grinding
element is inserted onto the balls. The mill drive is started up.
- The test is divided in various steps.
The number of revolutions (between 100 and 200) is defined so that the step generates a proportion of
-
fines to be
removed of 50%.
- In contrast to the HGI test, specific surface area (Blaine) is measured.
After each step, Blaine is measured from the sample. The 0,125 mm undersized fraction is removed and
-
weighed.
A fresh sample with the same weight of the removed fraction is added to the sample for the next step.
- The test is concluded when the grams of product produced/number of rotations ratio is the same for 3 steps.
4.3.4 Results:
- The result is obtained between the quantities of specific energy in kWh/ton which have to be expended
 to generate
specific levels of Blaine fineness.
- The Zeisel grindability result is expressed in kJ/kg.
- Here below, a usual graph with Zeisel test results:

4.3.5 Field of application:

- Many german companies are using this method in their laboratory.
- This test seems to be well adapted for VRM (Vertical Roller Mills).
4.4 Other tests:
- Innumerable companies have their own grindability test.
- This test is generally performed in batch mill (similar to the Bond mill).