Mineral crushing by applying constant compressive force - on blocks of various size or form, applicable when component e.g. diamond must be preserved without deterioration

摘要

A process for crushing in a controlled way heterogeneous blocks comprising hard elements and a relatively friable part, incorporates exerting on these blocks a constant compressive force or one varying between two predetermined values. This pressure remains constant during the partial crushing whatever the blocks are and however they are presented under the crushing mechanism used. The process is applicable to the crushing of agglomerates of which one or more components have to be preserved without deterioration, e.g. diamonds contd. in minerals and found in the free state in alluvial strata. The invention remedies inconveniences of existing processes using cascades of cylindrical grinders or crushing mills in which the sepn. of the pieces reduces progressively, and in which the prods. broken down at each stage have to be extracted and treated to recover the liberated diamonds of given size.