INVESTIGATION OF ROCK AGGREGATE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT THROUGH CHANGES IN CRUSHING CIRCUIT: A CASE STUDY ON VERTICAL SHAFT IMPACT CRUSHER

Abstract

The present study investigates the effects of rock crushing circuits on aggregate quality. For this purpose, a crushing – screening plant located in Vize (Kırklareli, Turkey) was considered. Based on the current operating conditions, the crushing – screening plant was modeled. The simulations revealed quantitative data on the production yield, efficiency of crushers, size reduction ratio. Concerning cone and vertical shaft impact crushers, rock aggregate quality was investigated for products with a particle size range of 33 – 63 mm. As a result of full-scale crushing tests, it was determined that the quality of rock aggregates is affected by the crushing circuit. Thanks to the several changes in crushing circuit, the Los Angeles abrasion value and flakiness index of the investigated rock aggregates were improved by 32% and 35%, respectively. The key points and details on the aggregate quality improvement processes were given in this study.