Stone crushers are machines designed to break large rocks into smaller pieces, gravel, or rock dust. They are widely used in mining, construction, and aggregate industries. Here’s how they function:
1. Types of Stone Crushers
Different crushers are used based on the required output size and material hardness:
– Jaw Crusher – Primary crushing (coarse reduction).
– Impact Crusher – Secondary/tertiary crushing (medium-fine reduction).
– Cone Crusher – Secondary/tertiary crushing (fine reduction).
– Gyratory Crusher – Primary crushing (similar to jaw but for larger rocks).
– Roll Crusher – Compression-based fine crushing.
– Hammer Mill – High-speed impact for soft materials.
2. Working Mechanism
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# (a) Jaw Crusher
– A fixed jaw and a moving jaw compress rocks in a V-shaped chamber.
– The movable jaw exerts force, breaking stones into smaller fragments.
# (b) Impact Crusher
– Uses high-speed rotors with hammers/blow bars to strike and throw rocks against impact plates.
– Ideal for softer materials like limestone.
# (c) Cone Crusher
– A rotating mantle inside a concave bowl crushes stones via compression.
– Adjustable settings control output size.
# (d) Gyratory Crusher
– Similar to a cone crusher .jpg)
with a vertical cone that gyrates inside a fixed outer shell.
3. Crushing Process Steps
1. Feeding: Raw stones are fed into the crusher via a vibrating feeder or conveyor belt.
2. Crushing: Depending on the type, compression, impact, or shear forces break the rocks.
3. Screening: Crushed material passes through screens to separate sizes (oversized pieces may be recirculated).
4. Conveying: Final product is transported for further processing or stockpiling.
4. Key Components
– Feed Hopper: Where raw material is loaded.
– Crushing Chamber: Where actual size reduction happens (jaws, cones, hammers).
– Drive Motor/Pulley: Powers the crushing mechanism (electric/diesel engines).
– Discharge Conveyor: Moves crushed material away from the machine.
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