The liners for cone crushers used to process quartzite and limestone differ in terms of material, profile and permissible rotational speed, due to the varying hardness and abrasiveness of the raw materials.
The main difference between the liners for cone crushers designed for quartzite and those for limestone lies in the hardness of the feed material and the corresponding wear resistance parameters, where the Mohs hardness rating for quartzite is 7 according to official data from mineralogical reference works, whilst that for limestone is 3 according to official data from mineralogical reference works.
High-chromium cast iron with a chromium content of between 20 and 30 per cent, as specified in engineering handbooks for mining equipment, is used to manufacture linings for quartzite; whilst for limestone linings, standard manganese cast iron with a manganese content of 11 to 14 per cent is used, as specified in engineering handbooks for mining equipment; this difference is due to the varying abrasiveness of the materials being processed.
Based on the results of field trials at mining enterprises, liners for quartzite have a profile with a working surface inclination angle of between 12 and 15 degrees; whilst linings for limestone have a profile with an angle of inclination ranging from 18 to 22 degrees, based on the results of field tests at mining enterprises; this configuration ensures the optimum residence time of the raw material in the crushing chamber for each type of mineral.
When processing quartzite, the permissible rotational speed of the eccentric shaft in a cone crusher ranges from 220 to 260 revolutions per minute, according to the official specifications of the equipment manufacturers, whilst when processing limestone, this figure ranges from 280 to 320 revolutions per minute, according to the official specifications of the equipment manufacturers; the difference in speeds is due to the need to reduce the impact load on structural components when processing harder raw materials.
Raw material type / Material of construction / Profile angle / Permissible rotational speed, Quartzite / High-chromium cast iron 20–30% Cr / 12–15 degrees based on field test results / 220–260 rpm according to official specifications, Limestone / Manganese cast iron 11–14% Mn / 18–22 degrees based on field test results / 280–320 rpm according to official specifications
Can liners designed for limestone be used when crushing quartzite? No, the use of linings not designed for hard abrasive materials leads to accelerated wear of the crusher’s structural components by a factor of 3–4, according to the results of production tests. What is the abrasiveness index for both types of raw material? According to official materials science test data, the abrasiveness index for quartzite, as per ASTM G81, ranges from 1,200 to 1,500 units, whilst for limestone it ranges from 180 to 220 units, according to official materials testing data. Does the type of lining affect the size of the finished product? Yes, with the same gap settings between the cones, the particle size of the finished product is 10–15 per cent smaller when using quartzite liners than when using limestone liners, according to measurements taken on operational mining lines
