Outokumpu is one of the world’s largest mill suppliers.

Our grinding
expertise combines the most advanced design, analysis and testing
technologies to help you select the best mill for your grinding needs.
A wide variety of designs is available to suit your requirements in either
green-field projects or existing operations. As your partner, we provide
the first key element of a total minerals processing solution.

Grinding technologies

stainless | copper | technology

 The key to successful concentration
The Outokumpu
factor
The Outokumpu factor is the
competitive advantage we give our
customers by helping them enhance
the performance of their processes,
products and services. It is a factor
our customers rely on to help them
overcome even the most demanding
challenges; a hidden asset that helps
them win.
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Solid grinding
experience
Outokumpu’s experience and know-
how in grinding, flotation, separation,
dewatering and automation allows
us to supply you with single units of
equipment or turn-key deliveries to
mining and industrial minerals plants.
In grinding, we have inherited an
established lineage of over 100 years
from Morgårdshammar, Scanmec and
Nordberg.
All these brands are now
incorporated into the Outokumpu
Group. Our state-of-the-art designs are
developed from these years of experience
– yesterday’s practical experience is used
in today’s designs to produce premium
technologies, to exact specifications.
Our grinding mill range includes semi-
autogenous (SAG) mills, autogenous
(AG) mills, ball mills, pebble mills and
rod mills. All are available in various
designs and sizes in order to fully satisfy
our customers’ requirements.
Optimum mill type
and size
The correct sizing of grinding mills
requires in-depth knowledge and
experience in crushing and beneficiation
processes. Our metallurgists and
application engineers are acknowledged
experts in these fields. A deep
understanding of parameters such as
Ball Mill Work Index (BWI), Rod Mill
Work Index (RWI) and Crushing
Work Index (CWI) is necessary to
determine the optimum mill design for
a given application. Size distribution in
feed, product and materials behavior
are also important considerations.
The first part of the sizing process
involves standard application
calculations. The calculations
determine the power that must be
applied to the mill in order to grind the
ore, at the specified feed rate, from one
size distribution to another. Using our
combined expertise in grinding and
specially-developed sizing programs,
we are able to make these calculations
and recommend the correct mill type
and size for any given application.

Ore testing for that

extra edge
First-hand knowledge of the material
to be processed is essential for the
successful design and operation of any
mill. Outokumpu has test facilities for
material mineralogy and liberation
analysis as well as complete minerals
processing facilities at our own R&D
center. In cases requiring additional
data, we can rely on our close
relationships with some of the foremost
test centers around the world.

Trunnion-supported SAG/Ball mill circuit operating at Rio Narcea, Spain.

A full range of mills for wet and
dry grinding

The demands of hard-rock mining

and industrial minerals operations
require the availability of a wide variety
of grinding mills. AG and SAG mills
are currently the industry standard
for primary milling. Outokumpu can
provide you with high-aspect or low-
aspect AG/SAG mills to meet any
milling requirement.
In grinding, a wet process is the
most commonly used, as most of the
downstream operations – flotation,
magnetic separation and leaching
Shell-supported SAG mill operating in Mexico.
– are wet processes. However, there
are dry processing applications for
which dry milling is the necessary
grinding method. Whether wet or dry Rod mills
applications, we can provide you with Rod mills are mainly used for the
the right grinding solution. primary grinding of crushed ore in
the size range up to –50 mm for soft
AG and SAG mills materials and –20 to 30 mm for harder
Autogenous and semi-autogenous mills materials and for the preparation of
are designed for primary grinding of feed for secondary ball mills.
run-of-mine ore or primary crushed
ore. These two types of primary mills Pebble mills
are the most commonly used and we Pebble mills are mostly used
are highly experienced in providing the for secondary grinding, where
full size and power range right up to the minimization of both processed
very largest. mineral contamination and operating
costs are of high importance. Pebble
Ball mills mills are also used where the ore is
Ball mills are usually used for secondary capable of forming suitable pebbles.
and tertiary grinding. Ball mills are the The application range is similar to that
secondary mills most often used in of ball mills.
the preparation of the material for the
following concentration process.

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Mill designs for every requirement
Our grinding mills are sized, designed
and built for rugged duty and operation
in the harshest of environments.
Different applications call for various
mechanical configurations and designs.
Our capabilities and expertise cover
both trunnion-supported mills and
shell-supported mills. Both designs
are complemented by an optimized
drive solution, selected for the exact
conditions to be encountered.
Mill bearings
The type of support bearing is selected
on the basis of the mill size, intended
duty and environmental conditions
at the installation site. We offer mills
supported on a variety of bearing
arrangements: hydrodynamic and
hydrostatic journal, spherical roller,
hydrodynamic and hydrostatic multi-
pad type bearings.
Mill support bearings
Journal bearings
Journal bearings in Outokumpu’s
trunnion-supported mills are
hydrostatically lubricated during
start-up and stopping as well as
hydrodynamically or hydrostatically
lubricated during operation. The
journals are easily removable and
bearings for both ends of the mill are
identical and reversible.
The journal or bearing sleeve
material is either bonded white metal
or centrifugally cast bronze. The journal
supports the trunnion surface through
120° of rotation. Swivel support allows
the bearings to self-align as mill loading
changes. The housings (base and cap)
are machined from steel plate.
Our hydrodynamic journal-bearing
lubrication systems deliver conditioned
high-pressure oil at the sleeve center to
lift the mill for start-up. The systems
also deliver low-pressure oil at the edges
of the sleeve to provide hydrodynamic
lubrication for reliable, continuous, bi-
directional operation. Low and high-
pressure standby pumps and standby
oil filters are standard features of our
journal-bearing lube systems. Small
reservoirs, integral with the bearings,
provide sufficient oil for the mill to be
safely stopped in the event of a power
failure.
Spherical roller
bearings
Spherical roller bearings can be used
for mills with trunnion diameters up
to 1.8 m. The benefits associated with
spherical roller bearings are high load-
carrying capacity, short trunnion length
and simple lubrication. Due to the short
trunnion, the bending moment on the
head is small, resulting in reduced stress
and lower deformation of the head. The
free (non-fixed) bearing is mounted
on rocker-type pedestals, which
accommodate the thermal expansion
of the mill-rotating assembly.
Spherical roller bearings are
lubricated by means of a small motor-
driven or air-driven grease pumping
system, making them especially
well suited to remote locations and
harsh environments where routine
maintenance is difficult.
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 Multi-pad type bearings Shell-supported mills
Large mills can be supplied with multi- Outokumpu’s shell-supported mills
pad type hydrodynamic or hydrostatic are more compact, occupy less floor
bearings. Several individual pads are space and require simpler foundations
mounted onto the trunnions or shell than comparable trunnion-supported
at each end of the mill to provide mills. This is an important advantage,
a very high load-bearing capability especially for indoor installations in
and maximum tolerance of trunnion severe climates and offers considerable
deformations. cost savings.
Each pad is mounted on a
hydrostatically lubricated ball and
socket support. These supports are
machined from high-strength steel and
fitted with a white metal bearing surface
specially designed to suit the trunnion
or shell diameter. As with our journal
bearings, high-pressure oil is delivered
to the center of each pad to lift the
mill for start-up, and low-pressure
oil is delivered to a slot at the ends of
each pad to provide hydrodynamic
lubrication for operation.
To allow for rapid erection and
alignment, each pad is supported
on a pedestal containing an integral
hydraulic jacking cylinder and lock
ring. The jacking cylinder ensures
easy alignment and equal load sharing
between pads.

Shell-supported SAG mill and shell-supported ball mill operating in East Africa.
Shell-supported mills are supported by
bearings mounted directly to the shell,
thereby yielding substantial advantages.
Because the end plates of the mill do
not support the structure, the feed and
discharge openings may be sized to
meet process conditions without being
limited by bearing diameters. The
overall span of the mill is less, which
results in lower forces acting on the mill
structure. For this reason, shell supports
are being increasingly specified for very
large, heavily loaded mills.
Shell-supported pebble mill operating in Scandinavia.
Our shell-supported mills use
multi-pad type bearings, where the
journal surface is machined into the
specially reinforced end sections of the mounted on to a flange, centrally
shell structure. A thrust surface is part located on the mill shell, away from
of the fixed end journal and special the ends. This enables the remaining
hydrodynamically lubricated shoes are components of the mill drive train to
used to resist the axial thrust of the be brought closer to the mill, which in
mill-rotating assembly. The ring gear turn allows for smaller foundations and
on shell-supported mills is normally lower installation costs.

Shell-supported open-ended SAG mill operating at Murrin Murrin in Western Australia.

The ring gears on shell-supported mills are placed away from the ends.

Mill drives Mill linings

Most mills are driven by ring gears, Outokumpu offers a complete range
with a 360° fully enclosing guard. of mill linings suitable for specific
The ring gear casting material is either conditions. Lining materials include
nodular iron or steel, usually with unalloyed or alloyed cast steel, cast iron,
helical type teeth, which makes them solid rubber, rubber-steel composites
reversible, allowing the use of both or ceramics. Wave or lifter bar linings
flanks throughout their operational life. can be supplied, depending on the
The drive may be mounted at either application.
the feed or the discharge end of the
mill. Whilst mills rated up to 10,000
kW can be driven by a single pinion,
dual pinions are mostly used for mill
applications above 6,000 kW.
Both high-speed induction type
or low-speed synchronous type drive
motors are available. High-speed
motors require an intermediate gearbox.
Smaller mills up to 500 kW are also
available trunnion-driven. Large mills
exceeding 13,500 kW normally use
gearless drives.

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Feed arrangement
For primary mills, a feed chute
incorporating a “rock box” is usually
provided. Large feed chutes can be
supplied on wheeled carriages, which
roll back away from the mill or roll
away laterally on tracks, to provide
access for mill inspection and liner
replacement. Ball, rod and pebble
mills are supplied with spout feeders
and replaceable liners supported by a
wheel-carried steel structure. Other
available feed arrangements include
screw-type, vibrating drum and scoop-
type feeders.
peripheral or open-ended discharge
arrangements are generally only used
for specific processes. SAG and AG
mills typically have grate discharge
arrangements with or without trommel
screens. SAG and AG mills with open-
ended discharge arrangements are
more efficient than grate discharge
arrangements.

Discharge arrangement
We provide a wide variety of discharge
arrangements, such as overflow,
peripheral, grate and open-ended.
Ball, rod and pebble mills typically
have overflow or grate discharge
arrangements with trommel screens.
Ball, rod and pebble mills with

This open-end SAG Mill (scrubber) at Murrin Murrin in Australia is lined with rubber.
Advanced design
analysis
Outokumpu mills are designed using
the latest 3D computer-aided design
(CAD) and drafting techniques.
Designs are fully verified with the latest
finite element analysis (FEA) tools
and techniques, which predict peak
stress levels in the mill structure and
the ultimate life of the mill’s structural
elements.
Torsional analysis of the drive train
can also be conducted, ensuring the mill
operates at speeds away from harmonic
frequencies. For mills utilizing journal
or pad-type bearings, our lubrication
design analysis predicts the minimum
thickness of the bearing fluid oil film.
Energy-efficient, cost-
effective technologies
The selection of an appropriate mill
configuration depends on the feed
size distribution, the desired product
size distribution and other physical
properties which define the relative
hardness, integrity and abrasiveness
of the material. By applying our
cutting-edge technology and solutions,
you contribute to energy saving and
environmental protection.
Our aim is to optimize your initial
investment costs as well as the life-time
operational costs. Therefore, effectively
balancing capital and operating costs
requires an experienced, practical
understanding of efficient energy we
and optimum mill life-span
configuration.
Worldwide sales and service support

To ensure premium quality product Additional technical support is

service and support, Outokumpu mills provided by our regional Grinding
are backed by our worldwide sales and Business Centers, and Outokumpu’s
service network. Our specialists ensure global design office in Oslo, Norway.
that your mill is properly installed Our Grinding Business Centers are
prior to commissioning and the located in Denver, USA; Smedjebacken,
process performance is verified after Sweden; Johannesburg, South Africa;
commissioning. and Perth, Australia, which is also the
headquarters of our grinding business.
After commissioning, your local
Outokumpu office provides:
Ongoing support with promptly
delivered replacement parts
Other mechanical services, including
complete mill reconditioning
Complete process evaluations and
performance diagnostics
Liner wear measurements and profile
development
Maintenance inspections
Alignment checks
Gear reversals
Service contracts

Quality assured

Outokumpu mills meet the highest quality standards for design, manufacture and supply. Regional
business centers are either in pursuit of, or have already received, ISO 9001 certification. Once a
contract is awarded, a quality assurance plan is raised in the regional Outokumpu Grinding office.
This plan outlines the critical steps in the design and production process and lists the applicable
documentation and physical inspections for each step.

We work in close co-operation with our global network of experienced, qualified subsuppliers to
produce the mill’s main components as close as possible to the installation site. Engineers from our
international mill business centers perform progress inspections to verify compliance with applicable
specifications and standards. The results are recorded and form a part of the mill installation record,
which we maintain for the life of the installation.
 3011EN. Libris, Helsinki, Finland. April 2004.

Outokumpu is a dynamic metals and

technology group. Focusing on our core
competences, that is, extensive knowledge of
metals and metals processing, we aim to be
leaders in all of our key businesses: stainless
steel, copper and technology. Customers in a
wide range of industries use our metals, metal
products, technology and services worldwide. E-mail: info.technology@outokumpu.com

www.outokumpu.com