Dusty jacobson • Peter janssen

Victor urbinatti
Metso Corporation, USA

Cavity level’s effect on cone crusher

performance and production

The effect of varying cavity level inside a high speed cone crusher chamber was
abstract

studied in relation to capacity, power utilisation, and reduction properties. In

addition to mechanical and wear consumption advantages, the production and
energy utilisation differences between operating at a low crushing cavity and a
high crushing cavity, were investigated. An extensive pilot test was conducted
to obtain sampling and operational data with the crushing chamber level at
half-cavity, full-cavity, and super-choked. The testing utilised two materials,
one ‘soft rock’ and one ‘hard rock’. Furthermore, the test included multiple
feed size distributions and closed side settings, along with the varying cavity
level. The data are machine specific, however the trends of the results are
relatable to high speed cone crushers of relative size.
The results showed a relatively small difference between crusher production
when running with a super-choked cavity (material above the crushing chamber
300 mm) as compared to a full cavity (material up to the top of crushing
chamber). However, a significant difference was observed when operating
with a half-cavity (material filling only the lower half of the crushing chamber).
In relation to the half-cavity condition, the full and super choked condition
gave an increase in capacity at a higher power draw, while both cases gave
a significantly finer discharge. A full cavity condition proved to be 3% more
efficient in producing the coarser product, while it was 10% more efficient
producing the finer product. A super-choked condition was proven
to be even more favourable.
The trends found in this study can be applied to both existing operations
and greenfield designs. Understanding the effect cavity level has on specific
energy and crusher performance will allow existing operations to maximise
their crushing potential and will further the design and development of more
efficient plant flow and equipment selection.
 Cavity level’s effect on cone crusher performance and production

introduction
One of many operating conditions that influence cone crusher performance is the
material level, or material height, in the crushing cavity. This affects the material
density and particle flow through the cavity. It should be noted that the shape of the two
crushing surfaces, or cavity profile, can have a large effect on the crusher performance
by inhibiting particle flow through the cavity. For this study, a smooth cavity profile
was utilised and the top size of the feed was checked to ensure the particles easily fell
into the feed opening. Additionally, multiple closed side settings (css) were investigated
to minimise any nip1 issues that may be present in certain cavity profile, css, or feed
size combinations.
Increasing the material cavity level in the crushing chamber influences the crushing
action in several ways. First of all, filling the crushing cavity allows for interparticle
crushing to begin at a higher level in the crushing chamber. Secondly, the additional weight
of the material above the particles receiving compression strokes enhances the downward
flow through the cavity and increases particle density in the crushing zones. Moreover,
this increases the probability to nip, and improves the mass flow rate and throughput.
To study these effects, the crusher performance was measured with varying
cavity levels. The lowest cavity level was recorded when the material level was kept
approximately 5/8 full from the bottom of the crushing chamber to the top of the
crushing chamber, and is termed ‘Half Cavity’. In this state, there is no material head
above the chamber to push the particles through and improve crushing action. The
second cavity level was taken when the material in the cavity measured even to the top of
the crushing chamber. At this point, the crushing chamber was full, but with little head
above the chamber and is referred to herein as ‘Full Cavity.’ The third condition occurred
with a feed level approximately 300 mm above the top of the crushing chamber, which
allows the material head to help push the particles through the crushing chamber. This
is termed herein as the ‘Super Choked’ condition. Figure , shown below, presents an
illustration of Cavity levels analysed during test.

Figure 1 Illustration of material cavity levels.

In theory, as the material level builds through the cavity and above it, the particle density
and flow through the chamber will improve and the crushing action will be augmented.
Before testing, it was predicted that as cavity level increased, the capacity, reduction, and
power draw would also increase. To evaluate the effect of cavity level on these parameters,

1 Nip is the act of the particles being pinched between crushing surfaces without significant slipping.

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 CHAPTER I

the capacity, reduction properties, power draw, and specific energy were compared.
Additionally, the crushing efficiency should improve, which can be quantified by results
that incorporate capacity, reduction, and power drawn into one figure. To compare the
results over these three parameters, the specific energy required to reduce the initial
crusher feed size down to multiple size fractions was determined.
Please note that directly comparing values such as percent-passing-closed-side-setting
are not valid when different css are used. Traditionally, with all other variables equal,
a tighter css will produce a crusher discharge curve that is relatively finer, which was
shown in the results of this test. However, the trends of the relative differences between
cavity levels were observed at each closed side setting.
In the authors’ experience, the effect of filling the cavity level and building a head
of material over the crushing chamber becomes magnified as the machine size is also
increased, if all other variables remain constant. The pilot testing for this study was
conducted on a 150 kW machine, and any specific values should be treated as specific
to this size machine. However, the trends seen in this study are parallel to observations
experienced in operations with much larger machines.

methodology
The following procedure was developed and conducted in order to perform the study
at hand. Two types of samples were utilised in this study; The first one consisted of
approximately 40 tonnes of 63 mm × 19 mm limestone delivered from a quarry located
in Franklin, Wisconsin, usa. This material was deemed the ‘soft rock’ for the study as its
material properties consists of a relatively low Impact Work Index 2 of 11 kWh/T and a
high Crushability value3 of 41%. The second sample consisted of approximately 40 tonnes
of 101 mm × 25 mm trap rock delivered from a quarry in Dresser, Wisconsin, usa. This
material was deemed the ‘hard rock’ for the study as its material properties consist of
a relatively high Impact Work Index of 20 kWh/T and a low Crushability value of 25%.
Both materials were inspected for segregation upon arrival, with mixing as needed to
achieve a homogeneous sample. Multiple feed samples were taken in order to obtain an
accurate feed gradation.
Throughout this study, a Nordberg hp200 Cone Crusher with 150 kW drive power
was utilised. In total, forty-two tests were completed with the goal of determining a
definite trend on main operating measurables (power draw, reduction, and capacity).
The different levels of cavity observed in the crushing chamber during our study were
Super-Choked, Full Cavity and Half Cavity.
Each set of base tests were conducted in a similar fashion; the base tests were operated
in open circuit with 63 mm x 19 mm feed and the Shorthead crusher speed4, with each
cavity level investigated over four closed side settings ranging from 13 mm to 22 mm.
Each cavity level was operated as a separate test for a minimum of 30 seconds at constant
cavity and power draw levels (+/- 3%) in order to obtain accurate capacity and power
draw information. The cavity level was controlled via a manual variable speed drive feed
conveyor and visual verification of the cavity height at one of three levels. The sampling
locations were tagged by dropping a marking flag on the crusher discharge conveyor belt
at a specified time to correspond with the cavity level; taking into account the delay from
2 Taken from industry standard pendulum test, also known as Bond Crushability Work Index.

3 Taken from French Crushability & Abrasivity laboratory test, of the old French norm NF P-18-579.

4 Shorthead refers to a crusher setup generally used in tertiary and quaternary applications.

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 Cavity level’s effect on cone crusher performance and production

instantaneous crusher discharge and the location where the marker was placed. This
was done in order to obtain multiple samples of the crusher discharge, as the crushing
cavity began to empty after the feed to the crusher was ceased. After the completion
of testing, the samples obtained through the belt cuts were analysed and particle size
distributions (psd), operating capacities, and material properties were obtained.
Additional tests were operated outside of the base testing conditions. First, the hard
rock delivered had a 101 mm x 25 mm particle size, so in order to size this material
similar to the feed size of the soft rock, it was run through the cone crusher in a Standard
setup5 and then screened over a 19 mm screen cloth to prepare the 63 mm x 19 mm feed
for the base testing. During this prep work Standard-application tests were run and
samples were obtained as a way to fine tune the base testing procedure. These results
were not studied in depth due to the stepped liner profile6 yielding some inconsistent
results at times due to erratic material flow through the cavity.
Additionally, the shorthead setup was tested in closed circuit operation and with finer
feed fractions. Although trends were noticeable in these results, there were too few data
points to state any findings here.

results and discussion

The basic operating data was evaluated first using the base testing data only. As expected,
the capacity, reduction, and power draw were consistently much lower with the crusher
operating at Half Cavity than with a Full Cavity or Super Choked cavity. While the results
varied slightly between the tests with different closed side settings, the Half Cavity data
showed, on average, 25% lower capacity with 50% less power utilised, resulting in 21%
lower specific energy when compared to the Super Choked condition. Those values were
23% lower capacity, 43% less power draw, and 16% lower specific energy when the Half
Cavity results were compared to the Full Cavity results. The explanation for the reduced
specific energy of the Half Cavity condition was revealed when comparing the psd of
the crusher discharges. The discharge with a Half Cavity was significantly coarser than
with a Super Choked cavity or Full Cavity, as the P80 of the discharge was on average 17%
and 14% coarser, respectively. The difference in the psd is more evident when looking
at a size fraction significantly finer than the css. The Half Cavity had a percent passing
1/2 of the css that was 36% and 29% less than the Super Choked cavity and Full Cavity,
respectively. As an example, when comparing one set of tests utilising a 12.7 mm closed
side setting, the percent passing 1/2 of the css would then be approximately the percent
passing the 6.68mm7 sieve size. In this example, the Super Choked test had 58.8% of the
product passing the 6.68mm sieve size, while the Full Cavity and the Half Cavity had
54.9% and 43.9% passing the 6.68mm sieve size, respectively.
In other words, the cavity level had an effect on the slope of the particle size
distribution curves beyond simply shifting the P80 point. A higher cavity level showed
a greater effect on the percent passing a sieve size as a size fraction that was significantly
finer than the css that was investigated. Figure shows the filtered, normalised PSD

5 Standard refers to a crusher setup generally used in secondary applications.

6 Stepped-liner profiles are common in standard applications in order to accept larger feed sizes with
reasonable nip angles.

7 6.68mm is a standard sieve size and was considered near identical to a point at 6.35mm.

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 CHAPTER I

curves for the three cavity levels. The size range (horizontal axis) is relative to the closed
side setting investigated, where the 1.0 value is equal to the CSS.

Figure 2 Normalized PSD based on cavity level.

To compare the capacity, reduction, and energy utilisation based on the cavity level, the
specific energy required to make two arbitrary products (13.3 mm x 0 and 6.7 mm x 0)8
were investigated. At the same css and feed size (base tests only), the Half Cavity had a
25% reduction in capacity and 50% reduction in power draw when compared to the Super
Choked condition, as previously stated. More illustrative though is the decrease in minus
13.3 mm and minus 6.7 mm particles produced. Mainly due to the steeper discharge psd,
the production of minus 13.3 mm and minus 6.7 mm particles diminished by 59% and
75%, respectively, when a Half Cavity condition was evaluated against a Super Choked
condition. The results were not as drastic when compared to the Full Cavity test, but clear
differences can be seen in Table 1 below. This shows the relative operating condition
when compared to the Half Cavity tests. The values in Table 1 show the normalised
specific energy in kwh/t used to produce arbitrary product sizes of 13 mm x 0 and
6.7 mm x 0. These values were determined by simply dividing the power utilised
during a test by the rate (MTPH) of each arbitrary product produced during said test.
Table 1 Relative production and specific energy based on half cavity results

kWh/T MTPH kWh/T MTPH kWh/T

Condition MTPH kW
Throughput 13mm x 0 13mm x 0 6.7mm x 0 6.7mm x 0
Super Choked 1.25 1.50 1.21 1.59 0.95 1.75 0.87
Full Cavity 1.23 1.43 1.16 1.49 0.97 1.62 0.90
Half Cavity 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

Important results to stress are when operating with a higher cavity level, the capacity
and reduction will improve at the expense of a higher power draw. When combining
all these factors into one figure, the higher cavity levels used 5–13% less specific energy
to produce the two theoretical products shown.
When trying to evaluate the specific energy used to create the same discharge psd

8 13.3mm x 0 and 6.7mm x 0 signify a product with a particle size distribution that can completely pass a 13.3mm sieve or
a 6.7mm sieve. The 13.3mm and 6.7mm size fractions are standard sieve sizes and were chosen to avoid interpolation.

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 Cavity level’s effect on cone crusher performance and production

(as when comparing open circuit operation), the varying closed side settings and
discharge curve shapes mentioned earlier made it difficult. However, looking at four
tests in particular, the crusher discharge with a Super Choked cavity had very similar P80
and P50 datum points (+/- 5%) in comparison to the accompanying crusher discharge
produced with a Half Cavity at a css that was 3 mm tighter (Table 2 , below). Although
this sampling size is very small, all tests utilised the hard rock and showed consistent
results. With similar discharge curves, the tests containing a Super Choked cavity had
39% higher capacity at 13% higher power draw, yielding a 19% reduction in specific
energy to produce a similar discharge psd as was seen with the Half Cavity at the tighter
closed side setting.
Table 2 Operating data - Similar discharge PSD of super choked at wider CSS than half cavity

CSS (mm) MTPH kW kWh/T P80 P50

Super Choked 22 1.36 1.10 0.81 1.02 1.04

Full Cavity 22 1.33 1.02 0.76 1.10 1.10
Half Cavity 19 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Super Choked 19 1.42 1.16 0.82 1.05 0.99
Half Cavity 16 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

The data from the hard rock and the soft rock were compared to determine any trends
based-off of material hardness. Overall, the positive effects of a higher cavity level were
slightly more pronounced with the harder material (see Table 3 below). This can partly
be explained by the soft rock’s propensity to fracture into a relatively finer psd upon
the first compression blow than with the hard rock, which was visually observed as
well as captured on video. This was not originally an objective of the pilot test; however,
trending shows that cavity level exhibits greater influence on crusher performance with
hard rock than with a soft rock.
Table 3 Average results - Comparison of soft and hard rock relative to half cavity data

kWh/T 13mm kWh/T 6.7mm

MTPH kW kWh/T P80
x0 x0
Soft Rock-SC 1.16 1.44 1.23 0.82 0.98 0.91
Hard Rock-SC 1.33 1.57 1.18 0.85 0.91 0.83
Soft Rock-FC 1.16 1.40 1.21 0.84 0.99 0.92
Hard Rock-FC 1.30 1.46 1.12 0.89 0.94 0.87
Half Cavity 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

Several other operating conditions were tested, such as varying feed size, alternate
crushing cavity profiles, and particle shape analysis, but will be omitted from this paper
due to lack of sample size yielding definite trends.
A common method to quantify comminution efficiency is the Bond Operating Work
Index (WIop). This parameter was briefly investigated but quickly showed abnormalities.
The WIop takes into account only the P80 of the product curve and assumes a generic
product curve shape. As mentioned earlier, the discharge curves from the crusher had a
high variance at different size fractions, meaning the shape of the discharge curves were
not identical. Therefore, the WIop was not deemed a satisfactory comparison.

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 CHAPTER I

conclusions
This study was performed as validation to experiences seen in large scale operations and
to quantify the effect the cavity level has on overall crusher production and efficiency. A
total of 42 tests were run with 76 crusher discharge samples recorded, not all of which
were used for the base findings in this paper. The main results determined from the
study were an increase in crusher efficiency as the crushing cavity level was increased,
which can be applied in multiple forms. For one, the overall crushing energy efficiency
is enhanced with a full cavity crushing chamber. Also, in many applications it will prove
beneficial to operate with a wider css and proportionally fuller cavity, as this will provide
an increase in capacity and decrease in specific energy while keeping the psd discharge
similar. Conversely, a finer overall product may be attained by running the crushers with
a higher cavity level while holding css constant. To finish, in applications running with
multiple crushers operated at low cavity level, it may be possible to decrease the number
of crushers in use by putting a heavier load and higher cavity level on the remaining
crushers.

acknowledgements
This study was performed as an extensive full-scale pilot crushing test at the Metso
Mineral Research & Test Center in Milwaukee, WI. Our thanks go to Lucas Steiner,
Manager mrtc and the Co-op Engineers, Steve Knautz and Tim Brader.

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