The effect of energies on the impact breakage characteristic of magnetite ores

Abstract

The energy applied during breakage is the key to enhancing the magnetite liberation degree and improving quality. The relationship between energy and liberation properties remains unclear due to various complicated factors affecting mineral liberation. Therefore, this work aims to study the effect of energy on the breakage characteristics of magnetite ores; the impact breakage test was conducted on magnetite particle groups at different energies using a drop weight impact tester; the statistical analysis was performed based on the fractal theory to research the particle size distribution; the fracture morphology and liberation properties of these ores were analyzed using scanning electron microscope and mineral liberation analyzer. Results show that the particle size distribution of magnetite after breakage conforms to the fractal law. The larger the energy, the greater the fractal dimension for this distribution, showing a linear relation between them, which implies that the fractal dimension can evaluate the breakage degree. The fracture morphology of magnetite ores indicates that as the energy increases, the intergranular fracture evolves into transgranular fracture, proving the influence of energy on fracture modes. It is found that the magnetite liberation degree first increases and then decreases with the rising of energy, indicating that the magnetite liberation can be improved at an appropriate amount of energy. The above conclusions provide a theoretical reference for optimizing energy and improving broken product quality.