The flowability of ground powders and the comminuting mechanism of mills

Abstract

The ground powders with the same particle size distribution and the same mean particle diameter were prepared by five different types of mills. The flowability index (FI) and the particle shape indices, namely, Wadell's working sphericity Φ _w and circularity Φ _C , of five kinds of test powders were measured. The effect of the comminuting mechanisms on the flowability of ground powders was investigated, and the relationship between the flowability of ground powders and the particle shape indices was analyzed. The experimental results show that the ground powders obtained by collision have irregular particle shapes and smooth surfaces, showing a high flow-ability. On the other hand, though the particle obtained by grinding is close to a spherical particle, but it has a rugged surface, and shows a bad flowability. Furthermore, the flowability index is more correlated with the circularity than the working sphericity is. This means that the surface roughness is more effective in determining the flowability of powders than the roundness is.