Comminution variables and options
Comminution is a simple milling process that reduces bulky material into smaller, more usable pieces. This article discusses comminutors, reviews the different types of comminution, and explains how operating variables affect the comminution process. Several equipment options are also highlighted.
Comminutors are used extensively in many industries to reduce large pieces of material into small particles that range in size from coarse to fine. In a typical comminutor [Fig. 1], raw material passes through a feed throat and into a grinding chamber with rotating blades, which strike the material and break it apart. The resulting smaller particles ricochet off the walls of the grinding chamber and exit from the machine, usually through a sizing screen.