Microstructural Analysis of Changes in the Morphology of Quartz Raw Materials of Different Genesis at Dry Milling

Abstract

The influence of the genesis of quartz-containing rocks on the strength of particles and changes in morphology during destruction from the standpoint of the mineralogical approach in the development of the scientific direction "geonics" ("geomimetics") has been investigated. The kinetics of dry grinding of raw materials in a laboratory ball roller mill was carried out. The features of the formation and development of cracks, particle size distribution, changes in the morphology and microstructure of fragments have been studied. It was found that in natural quartz cracks develop along the surface, where the highest concentration of impurities creates a defect structure with destruction into small particles. The purest structure of hydrothermal quartz is susceptible to brittle fracture into fragments similar in morphology to the base particle. Reducing the defectiveness of the structure increases the strength of the crystals. The internal energy potential of techno genic raw materials is determined by its defective structure, which undergoes the greatest deformations during grinding, allowing obtaining the maximum values of the specific surface area and reduce the grinding time. A difference in the degree of crystallinity of quartz, which composes the polymineral techno genic raw materials, makes it possible to obtain the optimal granulometry of fine particles. The conducted research is aimed at identifying the mechanisms of destruction of quartz rocks and can be used in solving engineering problems not only in construction materials science, but also in geotechnics.