Dynamics of planetary ball milling. A comparison of computer simulated processing parameters with CuO/Ni displacement reaction milling kinetics

Abstract

A two dimensional, discrete element method computer program has been constructed to predict grinding media motion in a planetary ball mill. Various impact models have been assessed for suitability to simulate actual milling impacts. They include Kelvin and Maxwell viscoelastic models and an elastic/plastic yield model. The computer simulation has then been used to consider variations in processing parameters such as impact frequency and energy associated with different milling configurations. These results have then been compared to the kinetics of the CuO/Ni displacement reaction propagated under these conditions.