GYRATORY CRUSHERS: THEORETICAL CAPACITY

Basic Operating Principles

Gyratory crushers operate based on the simple concept of a conical crushing surface, the mantle,
gyrating with an eccentric motion within an inverted conical crushing surface, the concaves. The space
between the mantle and concaves forms the crushing chamber. The width of the opening between the
mantle and concaves at the discharge point of the crushing chamber is termed the setting of the crusher.
As the mantle gyrates within the crushing chamber, it moves from the maximum to the minimum setting
for every 180 of eccentric rotation. This cycle creates a crushing motion unlike any other. Although at
any specific point within the crushing chamber the crushing motion is strictly reciprocating, the crushing
motion for the crushing chamber as a whole is a continuous compressive action.

The setting of the crusher is defined by the eccentricity of the drive. The minimum setting is termed the
closed side setting (C.S.S.), and the maximum setting is termed the open side setting (O.S.S.). The
open and closed side settings are related to the eccentricity of the crusher according to the following
relationships:

O. S . S . C. S . S = EccentricThrow (Eq. 1)

EccentricThrow = 2 Eccentricity (Eq. 2)

The open side setting of the crusher determines the expected product size and is customarily stated in
half-inch increments.

When material is fed to the crusher, either by a feeder or by direct dump, it is grabbed or nipped at a
certain level within the crushing chamber. The nip angle is defined as the included angle between the
mantle and concaves. The maximum nip angle of a specific application depends on the coefficient of
friction for the material being crushed and typically varies between 22 and 30. Generally, harder
materials such as granite, trap rock and taconite require maximum nip angles from 24 to 25.5. Softer
materials such as limestone typically require a maximum nip angle of 27. Slippery materials such as
mica bearing shale require tighter nip angles, even though these materials may be relatively soft.
Practically, the nip angle of a specific crusher model is limited by the geometry of the shells (See Figure
1).

At any instant during operation, material is crushed on the closed side of the crushing chamber. Crushing
occurs throughout the crushing chamber, however, the maximum crushing effect is located at the bottom
where there is greater motion of the mainshaft. The crushed material in this area falls to the next level, or
crushing zone, as the crushing chamber opens. As the crushing chamber closes, the material in this area
is once again nipped and crushed.

Theoretical Volumetric Capacity

From the above discussion, we would intuitively relate the theoretical volumetric capacity of the
crusher to the maximum volume of material which can pass through the crushing chamber during a single
gyration and the frequency at which the crusher gyrates from the closed side setting to the open side
setting. This relationship can be defined by four variables:

Mantle Diameter

Open Side Setting

Eccentric Throw

Gyrations Per Minute

CRUSHING DIVISION 1
When a new crusher is designed or when an existing crusher design is modified, a product diagram
which represents the crusher at both the open and closed side settings is developed using the geometry
of the crushing chamber (See Figure 2). This geometry is defined by the radial feed opening, the open
side setting, the nip angle, the curvature of the mantle, and the curvature of the concaves. Once the
geometry of the crushing chamber is defined, the lowest five crushing zones are evaluated. The crushing
zone with the minimum cross sectional area is termed the choke point. With straight concaves and
mantle, the choke point coincides with the discharge point of the crushing chamber where maximum
crushing motion occurs. With Traylor curved non-choking concaves, the choke point is moved to a
point above the discharge point of the crushing chamber, reducing the tendency of the material to pack
while being crushed. By multiplying the cross sectional area of the choke point by the circumference of
the mantle in this region, the maximum volume of material which can pass through the crushing chamber
during a single gyration is determined. This value is multiplied by the gyrations per minute to determine
the theoretical volumetric capacity of the crusher. This theoretical value can be changed by altering any
one of the four variables listed above.

All other variables being equal, the effect of increasing or decreasing the mantle diameter would be to
respectively increase or decrease the relative cross sectional area of the crushing chamber. The cross
sectional area of the choke point would also increase or decrease with an approximately linear effect on
theoretical volumetric capacity. Thus, the maximum theoretical volumetric capacity of a 60" gyratory
crusher with a 113" mantle diameter exceeds that of a 60" gyratory crusher with a 110" mantle diameter
which, in turn, exceeds that of a 60" gyratory crusher with an 89" mantle diameter.

Similarly, the effect of increasing or decreasing the open side setting alone would be to respectively
increase or decrease the relative cross sectional area of the crushing chamber. Changing the open side
setting would also have an approximately linear effect on theoretical volumetric capacity. Looking at the
attached product diagram, increasing the open side setting would be roughly analogous to pulling the
mantle and concaves apart, while decreasing the open side setting would be roughly analogous to
pushing the mantle and concaves together. Thus, the maximum theoretical volumetric capacity of a 60" x
110" gyratory crusher designed for a 10 inch (254 mm) open side setting exceeds that of a 60" x 110"
gyratory crusher designed for an 8 inch (203 mm) open side setting which, in turn, exceeds that of a 60" x
110" gyratory crusher designed for a 7" (178 mm) open side setting.

Increasing or decreasing the eccentric throw alone would also respectively increase or decrease the
theoretical volumetric capacity in an approximately linear relationship. At the same open side setting, the
dynamic effect of increasing the eccentric throw would be to decrease the closed side setting, allowing
more material to fall through the crusher during each gyration. Conversely, the dynamic effect of
decreasing the eccentric throw would be to increase the closed side setting, allowing less material to fall
through the crusher during each gyration. Large eccentric throws tend to produce an excess of fines,
cause packing and consume more power. A general Rule of Thumb to avoid these conditions is that the
eccentric throw should not exceed 25% of the open side setting.

The final variable which can effect theoretical volumetric capacity is gyrations per minute. If all other
variables are equal, increasing the gyrations per minute would increase the maximum theoretical
volumetric capacity, and decreasing the gyrations per minute would decrease the maximum theoretical
volumetric capacity. Unlike changing mantle diameter, open side setting and eccentric throw, changes to
the gyrations per minute have a direct proportional effect on theoretical volumetric capacity.

Theoretical Process Power

In addition to the theoretical volumetric capacity, gyratory crushers are selected based on the theoretical
process power required for the specific application. The theoretical process power is calculated using
the following procedure:

1) The Crusher Work Index in kWh/ton is a function of the materials impact strength and is defined
by the formula:
2.59 C
Wi = (Eq. 3)
S . G.

CRUSHING DIVISION 2
 where C = impact strength in foot-pounds per
inch thickness

S.G. = specific gravity

This value is obtained empirically from test samples of the material.

2) The Work or energy required to reduce the nominal size of the material is determined from the
equation:

10Wi 10Wi
W= (Eq. 4)
P80 F80

where P80 = screen size in microns which will

pass 80% of the product

F80 = screen size in microns which will

pass 80% of the feed

The expected capacity in short tons per hour of crushed product does not include the
fraction of crusher feed which already meets the product size requirement. The
percentage of feed material which is finer than the P80 is termed the fall-through
factor.

3) The Theoretical Process Power is calculated from the equation:

HP = 1.34 W Q (Eq. 5)

where Q = the expected capacity in short tons

per hour of crushed product

When sizing a crusher for a specific application, a 10% service factor is typically added to the theoretical
process power to obtain the theoretical motor power which is used to confirm that the crusher drive
motor is suitably rated.

Summary

Gyratory crusher capacity can be evaluated both in terms of the maximum theoretical volumetric
capacity and the theoretical process power required. The theoretical volumetric capacity of a gyratory
crusher is determined by the geometry of the crushing chamber, the setting, the eccentricity and the
operating speed. The theoretical process power is determined by the crusher work index, feed size and
desired product size of the material. The concepts and calculations presented in the above discussion
are generally accepted by the crushing industry and apply to all gyratory type crushers.

CRUSHING DIVISION 3
FIGURE 1: COMMON NIP ANGLES

COMMON NIP ANGLES

X = 4.75 22.39
X = 5.00 23.54
X = 5.25 24.68
X = 5.50 25.81
X = 5.75 26.95
X = 6.00 28.07

CRUSHING DIVISION 4
FIGURE 2: TYPICAL PRODUCT DIAGRAM

CRUSHING DIVISION 5