Determination of the power losses on a tyre-mounted ore-grinding mill

The objective of this study was to determine the power losses occurring on a tyre-mounted ore-grinding mill designed by Dorbyl Heavy Engineering for Mintek. In order to understand the type of losses occurring on this mill it was decided that a scaled model be built and tested. Such a model mill was designed through the dimensional analysis and similitude technique. This technique enables the reduction of the number of variables to be tested by grouping them into a set of dimensionless parameters, and also allows the results obtained by means of experimentation with the scaled models to be related to the full-scale prototypes. The model mill was constructed in the Mechanical Engineering Workshop at the University of Cape Town. The overall dimensions of the model are 1400 mm long, 1070 mm wide and 892.5 mm high. Its drive-train comprises an electric motor, the wedge and timing belts with the appropriate pulleys, a differential gear set, the tyres, a shell and a disc brake sub-assembly. The tyres used to drive the shell can either be of the pneumatic or solid rubber types. The model mill was designed such that the tyre parameters required in the theoretical solution for power losses, which utilises the Light Vehicle Dynamics Simulation tyre model, could also be measured.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Year dc:date.issued

1998

Author dc:creator

• Tyabashe, Loyiso

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Nurick, Gerald N
• Tait, Robert B

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9709

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/9709