Wear simulation in mining equipment

Discover how wear simulation can help improving the durability of mining equipment, reducing downtime and operational costs.

The Basics of Wear

Wear refers to the gradual loss or deformation of material on a surface due to mechanical action, such as friction, sliding, or rolling contact between surfaces. Wear is typically caused by the direct contact of materials under load, leading to abrasion, adhesion, or fatigue. It often occurs in machinery and moving parts where surfaces are in relative motion. This process is particularly significant in industrial applications where components are subjected to harsh operating conditions, such as in the mining industry.

Wear is a critical concern in many industrial applications, particularly in equipment designed to handle abrasive materials. Among these, Semi-Autogenous Grinding (SAG) mills play a crucial role in mineral processing, facing significant wear challenges due to their operating conditions. In this blog, we'll explore the importance of wear simulation, with a special focus on SAG mills and the impact of particle collisions during rotation.

Understanding Wear in SAG Mills

SAG mills are large rotating cylinders used to grind ore into finer particles. The mill is partially filled with ore and steel balls, which tumble and collide as the mill rotates. This process leads to two primary wear mechanisms:

1. Impact wear: Caused by direct collisions between particles, steel balls, and mill components.
2. Abrasive wear: Results from sliding and rolling motions of particles against surfaces.

The Challenge of Wear Prediction: Accurately predicting wear in SAG mills is crucial for several reasons:

• Optimizing maintenance schedules
• Improving mill liner designs
• Extending equipment lifespan
• Reducing operational costs

However, wear prediction is complex due to the multitude of factors involved, including:

• Ore characteristics (hardness, size distribution, shape)
• Operating conditions (rotational speed, fill level)
• Mill design (size, liner configuration)
• Material properties of mill components

Wear Simulation

Given the complexity of wear processes in SAG mills, which involve interactions between particles of various sizes, shapes, and hardnesses, as well as the influence of slurry properties and mill operating parameters, advanced simulation techniques have become invaluable tools for wear prediction and mitigation.

Demo

In this model, wear in a 10.5m-diameter SAG mill is simulated using Ansys Rocky, along with the post-processing steps to evaluate the results. The wear model and various modules are enabled to obtain useful data. Particles, motion frames, materials, interactions, boundary conditions, and other steps are applied to assess the wear on the mill's external surface. The image below shows the geometry, the inlet boundary condition, and some results, including the radial displacement in the XY plane compared to the reference geometry.

Please watch the video below for the full procedure and post-processing tips to evaluate the wear results: