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As a rule, minerals and other materials must normally be reduced in size in order to handle and process them.  Size reduction is obtained using various forms of crushers, breakers or sizers, depending on the industry and the applications.  These can include rock, ores, coal, glass cullet and a host of other minerals and materials, including recycled products.

Among the more commonly employed and heavily used equipment are granulators (ring hammermills), jaw crushers and hammermills. All such equipment is equipped to take a great pounding and to last for years, often for many generations. Just remember that, while a crusher might crush hundreds of tons per day with seemingly little effort, in fact, each and every ounce of material creates some degree of wear and strain. The trick is to know how to recognize when the cumulative wear begins to require attention, so that a developing issue is addressed before it turns into a major event.

In a time when maintenance staffs have been reduced and a company of necessity must rely on outside contractors, it’s useful to understand that, even with a limited maintenance staff, a company can employ some basic diagnostics that can keep their investment in size reduction equipment out of harm’s way. Here’s an overview of what can be done with ring hammers (granulators). In following posts I’ll cover jaw crushers and reversible hammermills.

Ring hammermills shouldn’t shake, rattle & roll

Granulators, or ring hammermills, are composed of a shaft/hammer/disc assembly rotating at medium speed (300-720 rpm depending on diameter) within a breaker cage. Before your granulator was fully assembled, the folks in our factory balanced the rotor assembly on a static balance stand. But after extended service, the effects of wear on these things can cause problems such as vibration, hot bearings and unusual wear.

If hammers are allowed to wear beyond their point of normal replacement, they can break and cause a serious vibration. Be sure to check the condition of all wear parts regularly, especially the rotating parts.

Another condition that can cause vibration is improper feeding. The best way to feed a granulator is to slide the material into the crusher along the breaker plate, and to avoid dropping material directly on the rotor. When the crusher is fed properly, wear will be uniform, resulting in longer hammer and disc life.  We can advise you on ways to feed your crusher properly so that parts wear and maintenance down time are kept to a minimum.

Also take measurements of bearing temperatures. A hot-running bearing will go out of tolerance and eventually fail; this is most often caused either by deterioration of the grease or by using too much grease. Check your operation manual, or give us a call for advice.

Ring hammermill/granulator examples

Cutaway illustration of the Pennsylvania® Granulator, a model that enjoys widespread use in the power generation industry. Over half of the coal used in power plants in the U.S. is crushed using Pennsylvania equipment. With the growth of coal for power generation in China and elsewhere, this model has enjoyed a strong surge of popularity around the globe.

The Pennsylvania Granulator, Model TKK. This is one of the larger versions of this model, showing the rear quadrant opened for inspection or servicing.

We’ll help you keep ‘em crushing

For more information, go online to www.penncrusher.com. You can learn more about our services, parts and remanufacturing. For general questions, please comment here on this blog, and I’ll respond here. If you would like Pennsylvania Crusher to review your crusher maintenance procedures, or if you encounter service issues, please call me at 610-544-7200, or send your E-mail request to fschaffer@penncrusher.com.

Fred Schaffer
Service Advisor
Pennsylvania Crusher

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