FIELD

The present innovation relates to devices configured to comminute material, such as mills, presses, grinding devices, or other types of comminution apparatuses, feed mechanisms for directing material to moveable comminution bodies, and methods of making and using the same

BACKGROUND

Mills, presses, crushers, and other types of comminution devices used to comminute material (e.g. grind, crush, break-up, and/or pulverize the material) often include a crushing body or multiple crushing bodies that are configured to impact material to comminute the material. Examples of such comminution devices may be appreciated from U.S. Patent Nos. 84,978,

252,755, 1,225,061, 1,519,989, 1,589,302, 1,871,104, 1,965, 186, 3,833,273, 3,955,766,

3,964,717, 4,339,086, 4,369,926, 4,456,267, 4,485,974, 4,582,260, 4,601,728, 5,203,513, 5,823,450, 6,523,767, 7,677,079 8,281,473, 8,695,904, 8,632,028, 9,321,054, 9,527,087, U.S.

Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2014/0151482 and 2016/0101426. These devices can include a feed mechanism for directing feed to be comminuted. Often that feed mechanism includes a conduit for guiding the material to a location for comminution. In some feed mechanisms, gravity can be utilized to help direct feed material toward a crushing body for comminution. Other references that disclose mechanism associated with the feeding of material or directing of feed material can be appreciated from International Publication Nos. WO 2009/068921 and WO 1991/011320, Chinese Patent Application Nos. CN 204892069, CN 204865944, and CN 203235537, and Korean Patent No. KR 200442679. SUMMARY

We have determined that comminuting operations can be affected by the way in which feed material is directed to a comminution mechanism for comminution of the feed material. We have also determined that it would be beneficial to increase the throughput for a comminution device to provide for comminution operations to result in increased comminution output with increased operational efficiency. In particular, it would be beneficial to provide such improved performance in a way that would allow pre-existing devices to be retrofitted with an improved feed mechanism to improve the performance of those devices.

Some embodiments of the comminution apparatus can include a housing having a chamber that is configured to receive feed material for comminution and a comminution mechanism in the chamber. The comminution mechanism can include a first moveable body and a second moveable body spaced apart from the first moveable body by a gap. The gap can define a nip through which material is passable for comminution. The first moveable body and the second moveable body can be moveable to comminute material that passes through the nip. The apparatus can also include a feed material directing mechanism positioned adjacent the comminution mechanism such that the feed material is pre-compressed prior to being fed to the nip for comminution via the first movable body and the second moveable body.

The feed material directing mechanism can have a number of different configurations and can have a number of different positions in the apparatus. For instance, the feed material directing mechanism can be at least partially positioned in the chamber and can be positioned above the nip. As another example, the feed material directing mechanism can include a rotatable feed directing body having at least one thread where the rotatable feed directing body being rotatable about a vertical rotational axis. As another example, the feed material directing mechanism can include a feed directing body that is linearly moveable between a first position and a second position to direct feed material toward the nip while also increasing the velocity of the feed material.

As yet another example, the feed material directing mechanism can include at least one rotatable feed directing body that is rotatable to contact feed material to apply pressure to the feed material as feed material moves toward the nip. The at least one rotatable feed directing body could have different shapes or srtcutures (e.g. it could have a plurality of arms, a plurality of projections, a surface having grooves and protuberances defined thereon, etc.). In some embodiments, the at least one feed directing rotatable body can include a plurality of impellers.

Each of the at least one rotatable feed directing body can be rotatable about an axle defining a rotational axis for the feed directing rotatable body. Each rotatable feed directing body can also moveable linearly in an axial direction (e.g. along a length of an axis abut which the body rotates, etc.). For instance, in some embodiments the at least one rotatable feed directing body can include a first rotatable feed directing body that is rotatable about a first axle defining a first rotational axis for the first rotatable feed directing body and is also moveable linearly and a second rotatable feed directing body that is rotatable about a second axle defining a second rotational axis for the second rotatable feed directing body and is also moveable linearly.

The first moveable body can be moveable in different ways. For example, the first moveable body can be rotatable about a first rotational axis. It is contemplated that the first moveable body can also be moveable away from or toward the second moveable body or may be moveable in an axial direction along a length of an axis about which the first moveable body rotates. The second moveable body can be moveable in different ways. For example, the second moveable body can be rotatable about a second rotational axis. The second moveable body can also be moveable away from or toward the first moveable body or may be moveable in an axial direction along a length of an axis about which the second moveable body rotates. The first rotational axis can be a horizontal axis and the second rotational axis can be a horizontal axis.

In some embodiments, the rotational speed of rotational feed directing bodies of a feed material directing mechanism can be matched to the rotational speed of the moveable bodies or substantially matched to the rotational speed of the moveable bodies (e.g. within 5-15% of the rotational speed of the moveable bodies). In other embodiments, the one or more rotatable feed directing bodies can be rotated at a speed that is greater than the rotational speed of the moveable bodies. For such embodiments, the rotational speed selected for the rotational feed directing bodies can be a speed that is sufficient to compress the feed material while also avoiding aerating the material.

An embodiment of a method for retrofitting a comminution apparatus can include a number of steps. For instance, an embodiment of the method can include installing a feed material directing mechanism so that the feed material directing mechanism is positioned adjacent to a comminution mechanism positioned in a chamber f a housing. The feed material directing mechanism can be configured to compress the feed material prior to feeding the material to the comminution mechanism.

The feed material directing mechanism can have any of a number of configurations. The comminution mechanism can also have different configurations. For example, the comminution mechanism can include a first moveable body and a second moveable body spaced apart from the first moveable body by a gap where the gap defines a nip through which material is passable for comminution. The first moveable body and the second moveable body can be moveable to comminute material that passes through the nip. The first moveable body and the second moveable body can be positioned in the chamber.

The installing of the feed material directing mechanism can be performed in different ways. For example, the installing can be performed to position the feed material directing mechanism above the nip and can also include passing feed material through the feed material directing mechanism to compress the feed material before the feed material passes through the nip. In other embodiments, the feed material directing mechanism could be positioned in a different location inside of or outside of the chamber.

The method can include a number of steps in addition to installing a feed material directing mechanism. For instance, the method can include passing feed material through the feed material directing mechanism to compress the feed material before the feed material passes through the nip. The method can also include other steps such as outputting the comminuted material from the housing of the comminution apparatus, feeding the material to be comminuted to the comminution apparatus, and/or directing the feed material to the feed material directing mechanism for increasing a velocity of the feed material and/or directing the feed material toward the nip for comminution. The method can also include other steps. For instance, the method could include matching (or substantially matching) the rotational speed of rotational feed directing bodies of a feed material directing mechanism to the rotational speed of the moveable bodies. As yet another example, embodiments of the method can include rotating one or more rotatable feed directing bodies at a speed that is greater than a rotational speed of the moveable bodies. For such embodiments, the rotational speed selected for the rotational feed directing bodies can be a speed that is sufficient to compress the feed material while also avoiding aerating the material. The feed material directing mechanism that is installed can have a number of different configurations. For instance, the feed material directing mechanism can include a rotatable feed directing body having at least one thread that is rotatable about a vertical rotational axis; a feed directing body that is linearly moveable between a first position and a second position to direct feed material toward the nip while also increasing the velocity of the feed material and/or at least one rotatable feed directing body that is rotatable to contact feed material to apply pressure to the feed material as the feed material moves toward the nip. In some embodiments, the feed material directing mechanism can include a first rotatable feed directing body that is rotatable about a first axle defining a first rotational axis for the first rotatable feed directing and a second rotatable feed directing body that is rotatable about a second axle defining a second rotational axis for the second rotatable feed directing body . The first and the second rotatable feed directing bodies can each also be moveable linearly (e.g. linearly moveable in an axial direction, etc.).

Embodiments of the comminution apparatus can be configured to grind, compact, crush, press, impact, or otherwise contact material for comminution. For instance, the comminution apparatus can be configured as a roller press or a press. As another example, the comminution apparatus could be configured as a mill or a roller mill. As yet another example, the

comminution apparatus can be configured to include a circuit of machines for comminution of material or a single device for comminution. In yet other embodiments, the comminution apparatus can be a plant for mineral processing, a plant for processing of material, a plant for material comminution, or a part of a plant for cement manufacturing.

Other details, objects, and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of certain exemplary embodiments thereof and certain exemplary methods of practicing the same proceeds. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of a comminution apparatus, a feed material directing mechanism for a comminution apparatus, and methods of making the same are shown in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that like reference numbers used in the drawings may identify like components.

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a first exemplary embodiment of a comminution apparatus.

Figure 2 is a schematic view of a second exemplary embodiment of the comminution apparatus.

Figure 3 is schematic view of a third exemplary embodiment of the comminution apparatus.

Figure 4 is schematic view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of the comminution apparatus.

Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of installing a feed material directing mechanism in a comminution device for use in comminution of material.

DETAIFED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPFARY EMBODIMENTS

Referring to Figures 1-5, a comminution apparatus 1 can include at least one crushing mechanism that is utilized to comminute material fed to the apparatus. The feed material that can be fed for comminution includes, for example, limestone, clinker, raw meal, ore, powder, granulated mineral or ore material, granulated rock, stone, agglomerated material, or other material. In some embodiments, the comminution apparatus 1 can be a device of a plant that is used to comminute feed material to a smaller size or range of sized for subsequent processing. For instance, in some embodiments, the comminution apparatus 1 can be a device included within a crushing circuit or comminution circuit of a plant. For instance, the feed material may have already been crushed or sorted to within a particular size range prior to feeding the feed material to the comminution apparatus 1 for further comminution. Embodiments of a plant in which an embodiment of a comminution apparatus can be utilized include, for example, cement manufacturing plants, mineral processing facilities, and material comminution facilities.

The feed material can be fed to the comminution apparatus 1 via at least one inlet of a housing that is in fluid communication with a chamber of the housing in which a comminution mechanism 10 is positioned so that the feed material is passable to the comminution mechanism 10 for comminution of the material (e.g. a conduit or opening through which feed material is passed to feed the material to a comminution mechanism 10 within a housing for comminution). After the comminution mechanism 10 has comminuted (e.g. crushed, pulverized, grinded, etc.) the material to a pre-selected size or within a pre-selected size range, the comminution apparatus 1 can be configured to output the material via at least one outlet (e.g. at least one discharge defined in a housing of the apparatus that may define a chamber in which the crushing mechanism is positioned for comminution of material, etc.). A controller can be connected to drive mechanisms and sensors of the comminution apparatus to control operations of the device. The controller can be an electrical device that has a processor and non-transitory memory that is communicatively connected to one or more drive mechanisms (e.g. motors, hydraulic cylinders, etc.) and/or one or more sensors (e.g. temperature sensors, pressure sensors, etc.) for controlling one or more operations of the comminution apparatus 1. A feed conduit 9 can direct feed material towards the comminution mechanism 10 positioned in the chamber 6 of the housing 2 of the comminution apparatus 1. The comminution mechanism 10 can include moveable bodies 3. The moveable bodies 3 can have wear surfaces connected to a body that is configured to rotate about an axle or otherwise move via a movement mechanism connected to the moveable body to drive motion of the moveable body 3. For example, the comminution mechanism can be configured as a roller press that has multiple moveable bodies 3. The moveable bodies can include a first moveable body 3a and a second moveable body 3b that is separated from the first moveable body 3a to define a gap 11 that defines a nip between the first and second moveable bodies 3a and 3b. The nip can be a space between the moveable bodies 3 that feed material is passable for comminution of the material. The comminution can occur by the moveable bodies contacting some of the material to press the material together or otherwise act on the feed material to comminute the material and/or mechanically press the material.

The first moveable body 3 a can be rotatable about a first axle 3 a and the second moveable body 3b can be rotatable about a second axle 3d. Each axle can be positioned inside an outer surface of moveable body to which it is connected so that rotation of the axle that is drive by a drive mechanism can cause the moveable body to rotate. Rotation of an axle in a first rotational direction (e.g. clockwise or counterclockwise) can result in the moveable body to which that axle is connected to also rotate in the first rotational direction. Rotation of an axle in a second rotational direction (e.g. counterclockwise or clockwise direction that is opposite the first rotational direction) can cause the moveable body connected to that axle to rotate in the second rotational direction. A feed material directing mechanism 4 can be positioned adjacent the chamber 6 (e.g. within the chamber or above the chamber and near the chamber 6) and be connected with the feed conduit 9 so that feed material passes from the feed conduit to the feed material directing mechanism 4 at a first velocity prior to the feed material being directed to the comminution mechanism 10. The feed material directing mechanism can be configured to receive the feed material from the feed conduit 9 and act on that feed material to apply pressure to the feed material (e.g. compress the feed material) so that the feed material is directed to the comminution mechanism 10 at a second velocity. The second velocity can be a velocity that is greater than the first velocity at which the feed material was fed to the feed material directing mechanism 4 or can be a velocity that is slower than the first velocity or the same speed as the first velocity.

In some embodiments, the feed material directing mechanism 4 can include a housing 4d that houses at least one feed directing body 4a that is moveable (e.g. rotatable and/or linearly moveable) to contact at least some of the feed material to apply pressure to the feed material (e.g. compress the feed material by applying pressure to the feed material) while also directing the feed material toward comminution mechanism 10. In some embodiments, the feed material can be directed by the one or more feed directing bodies toward the nip defined by the gap 11 that may be below the feed material directing mechanism 4 so that the feed material at the second velocity is directed to move toward the gap for comminution.

Referring to Figure 2, the feed material directing mechanism 4 can include a plurality of rotatable feed directing bodies 4a. Each of the feed directing bodies 4a can be connected to a respective axle 23 so that the feed directing bodies 4a can be rotatable in a first rotational direction (e.g. clockwise or counterclockwise) and in a second rotational direction that is opposite the first rotational direction. Each of the feed directing bodies 4a can also be connected to an axle 23 so that the feed directing bodies 4a are moveable linearly (e.g. linear motion in axial direction 27 that is a direction of motion along an axis about which a feed directing body 4a rotates). The linear motion of each feed directing body 4a can be due to linear motion of the axle 23 to which the feed directing body is attached or can be due to movement of the feed directing body 4a along a length of the axle 23 to which the feed directing body 4a is attached to adjust a position at which the feed directing body 4a is located on the axle 23 (e.g. adjustable on the axle from a position near an end of the axle to a position closer to a middle of the axle or vice versa). This linear motion of each of the feed directing bodies 4a along an axle 23 to which the feed directing body 4a is attached or via motion of the axle 23 to which the feed directing body 4a is attached can occur when the axle is non-moving or while the axle is moving via a linear feed directing body movement mechanism. The linear feed directing body movement mechanism can include one or more hydraulic actuators or other type of actuator (e.g. rack and pinion mechanism, other type of gear mechanism coupled to a drive, a motor, etc.) that is connected to the feed directing bodies or the axle(s) to drive this linear motion of the feed directing bodies so that each of the feed directing bodies is linearly moveable.

The linear motion of the feed directing bodies 4a can be in an axial direction 27 (e.g. a direction that is parallel to a length of an axle about which a moveable body 3 rotates, a direction that is along a length of an axle to which a feed directing body is attached, etc.) to address issues that can arise with skewing that may result when a first side of a gap 11 becomes more narrow than a second side of the gap 11 that is opposite this first side. This narrowing of a gap 11 can occur due to material occlusion, agglomeration, due to uneven wear of a surface of one or more moveable bodies 3 or due to another operational parameter. Axial adjustment of the first and second feed directing bodies 2 la and 2 lb to the side of the gap 11 that is narrower in response to a detection of such skewing can compensate for this issue so that the skewing of the gap 11 can be accounted for and corrected so that the sides of the gap 11 can have a uniform spacing or a spacing that is within a pre-selected tolerance range for being considered a uniform spacing (e.g. the same space along the entirety of the gap) after axial positional adjustment of the feed directing bodies 4a via the linear motion of the feed directing bodies 4a.

In some embodiments, the feed directing bodies 4a can be structured as rollers or impellers that have arms 22 that project outwardly from an inner body connected to an axle 23. The projecting arms may contact the feed material to apply pressure to the feed material (e.g. to compress the feed material prior to the material being fed to the comminution mechanism 10). The movable arms 22 can also help break up the feed material while also increasing the speed of the feed material for directing the feed material to the gap 11 at an increased velocity while also helping to avoid the feed material becoming agglomerated or otherwise become blocked up to prevent movement of feed material to the comminution mechanism 10. In some embodiments, the projecting arms 22 contacting of feed material helps avoid overfeeding of the comminution apparatus in a self-adapting manner so that the feed material adjusts to comminution conditions in the chamber 6 without causing any blockages occluding the feed conduit 9 or otherwise forming a blockage.

In some arrangements, the feed directing bodies 4a can be positioned within a housing of a feed material directing mechanism 4 that is above the gap 11 of the comminution mechanism 10 and is in communication with the feed conduit 9 for compressing the feed material (and, in some embodiments, also increasing the velocity of the feed material) prior to the feed material being directed to the gap 11 for comminution. In some embodiments, there can be at least one feed directing body 2 la connected to a first axle 23a and at least one second feed directing body 2 lb connected to a second axle 23b that is spaced apart from the first axle 23a. The first and second axles 23a and 23b can each be rotatable in the first and second rotational directions. The first feed directing body 2 la can be positioned on the first axle 23a so that the first feed directing body 2la is rotatable in the same direction the axle rotates when the first axle rotates and the second feed directing body 2 lb can be positioned on the second axle 23b so that the second feed directing body 2 lb is rotatable in the same direction that the axle rotates when the second axle rotates. The first and second feed directing bodies 2 la and 2 lb can also be connected to at least one linear feed directing body movement mechanism for linear movement of the first and second feed directing bodies 21 a and 2 lb axially in addition to their rotatable movement so that the first and second feed directing bodies 21 a and 2 lb can be axially moveable, For comminution apparatus 1 embodiments configured as a roller press, the axial motion of the first and second feed directing bodies can be configured to address issues that can arise with skewing that may result when a first side of a roller gap (e.g. gap 11) becomes more narrow than a second side of the roller gap that is opposite this first side. This uneven narrowing of the roller gap can occur due to material occlusion, agglomeration, how a surface of one or more moveable bodies 3 experiences wear (e.g. one side of a comminution surface wears less or more than another side of the comminution surface of one or more moveable bodies 3) or due to another operational parameter. Axial adjustment of the first and second feed directing bodies 2la and 2lb to the side of the roller gap that is narrower can compensate for this issue so that the skewing of the roller gap can be adjusted and the sides of the gap can have a uniform spacing or a spacing that is within a pre-selected tolerance range for being considered a uniform spacing (e.g. the same space along the entirety of the gap). Each first feed directing body 21 a can have a plurality of outwardly projecting first arms 22a and each second feed directing body 2 lb can have a plurality of outwardly projecting second arms 22b. The first arms 22a of the one or more first feed directing bodies 21 can be spaced apart from each other along the length of first axle 23a and the second arms 22b can be spaced apart from each other along the length of the second axle 23b and be aligned with the first arms 22a so that each first arm 22a is positioned between immediately adjacent spaced apart second arms 22b. This arrangement can be configured so that each first arm 22a is within a respective gap defined by two immediately adjacent spaced apart second arms 22b so that rotation of the feed directing bodies does not result in the first arms 22a contacting the second arms 22b and also allows the first and second arms 22a and 22b to contact a substantial portion of the feed material that passes through the feed material directing mechanism 4.

It should be appreciated that the first and second feed directing bodies 2 la and 2 lb can be rotated in opposite directions during operations. For example, all of the first feed directing bodies 2la can be rotated in the first rotational direction while all the second feed directing bodies 2 lb can be rotated in the second rotational direction that is opposite the first rotational direction. But, it is also contemplated that the first and second feed directing bodies 21 a and 2 lb can be rotated in the same rotational direction.

In some embodiments, each of the first feed directing bodies 21 a can be positioned on a side of the feed material directing mechanism that is closer to the first moveable body 3a as compared to the one or more second feed directing bodies 2 lb and each of the second feed directing bodies 2 lb can be positioned closer to the second moveable body 3b as compared to the one or more first feed directing bodies 2 la (e.g. each first feed directing body 21 a can be on or adjacent a first side of the feed material directing mechanism 4 and each of the second feed directing bodies 2 lb can be on or adjacent a second side of the feed material directing mechanism 4). For such embodiments, each of the first feed directing bodies 2la can be rotated in a direction that is opposite a rotational direction at which the first moveable body 3a is rotated and each of the second feed directing bodies 2 lb can be rotated in a rotational direction that is opposite a rotational direction at which the second moveable body is rotated. For such embodiments, each of the first feed directing bodies 2 la can be rotated in a direction that is the same rotational direction as the second moveable body 3b and is a rotational direction that is opposite the rotational direction at which the first moveable body 3a and the second feed directing bodies 2 lb are rotated. Similarly, for such embodiments, each of the second feed directing bodies 2 lb can be rotated in a direction that is the same rotational direction at which the first moveable body 3a is rotated and is opposite the rotational direction at which the second moveable body 3b is rotated and is opposite the rotational direction at which the first feed directing bodies 2 la are rotated.

Of course, (and as noted elsewhere herein) in other embodiments, the first and second feed directing bodies can be rotated in the same rotational direction. For such embodiments, the feed directing bodies may be rotated in a rotational direction that is different than the rotational direction at which at least one of the moveable bodies 3 is rotated.

In some embodiments, the rotational speed of the rotational feed directing bodies 21 can be matched to the rotational speed of moveable bodies 3 or substantially matched (e.g. within 5- 15% of the rotational speed of the moveable bodies). In other embodiments, the feed directing bodies 21 can be rotated at a speed that is greater than the rotational speed of the moveable bodies 3. The rotational speed selected for the rotational feed directing bodies 21 can be a speed that is sufficient to compress the feed material while also avoiding aerating the material. Testing was conducted on a prototype embodiment of the feed material directing mechanism 4 that included rotatable impellers having arms 22. For the conducted testing, rollers of the roller press were rotated at rotational speeds in the range of 0.42 to 1.25 m/s. The roller pressure force used in the testing was 2,250 kN/m ² . The material processed in the testing was limestone (5 ton) and 2 ^nd pass limestone materials. The testing results showed that productivity was increased by 15% for coarse material processing (e.g. new feed material) and up to 60 ^L % with finer material, such as the second pass limestone.

Referring to Figure 3, the feed material directing mechanism 4 can include a feed material directing body 4a that is configured as a screw 31 that is rotatable about its shaft 3 la in a rotational direction that rotates about a vertical axis in rotational direction 37 shown in Figure 3. The screw 31 can be positioned in or adjacent a feed conduit 9 so that rotation of the screw 31 increases the velocity of the feed material before the feed material is fed to the gap 11 and/or fed into the chamber 6 in which the comminution mechanism 10 is positioned. The rotation of the screw 31 can also be configured to apply pressure to the feed material to compress the feed material before the feed material is fed to the gap 11 for comminution via the moveable bodies 3.

The feed material directing body 4a that is configured as a screw 31 have a shaft 3 la having at least one thread 3 lb defined thereon, formed thereon, or otherwise attached thereon. The shaft 3 la can have a polygonal shape, be a cylindrical shaft, or have another type of geometry (e.g. the cross-sectional shape of the shaft 3 la can be polygonal, circular, oval, etc.). The at least one thread 3 lb can be a helical thread or another type of thread that has a configured shape so that rotation of the screw about a vertical axis increases the downward velocity of the feed material so that the feed material velocity increases prior to the feed material being output to the chamber 6 and directed to the gap 11 for comminution via the comminution mechanism 10. The rotation of the screw 31 can also apply a force to the feed material to pre-compress the feed material before it is fed to the gap 11 for comminution via the moveable bodies 3.

In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the screw 31 can be positioned to extend at an angle relative to vertical so that the screw is rotatable about an axis that extends along an angled axis (e.g. an axis extending at an angle of 30° relative to vertical, 45° relative to vertical or 60° relative to vertical, etc.)· The shape and configuration of thread 3 lb can be defined to facilitate compressing the feed material and/or also increasing the velocity of the feed material directed toward the comminution apparatus so that the feed material output to the comminution mechanism 10 and directed to gap 11 for comminution is at an increased velocity as compared to the feed material’s initial velocity that it had prior to being affected by the rotation of the screw 31.

The screw 31 can be positioned in a housing 4d of the feed material directing mechanism 4 located near the chamber 6 and within the feed conduit 9. The housing 4d of the feed material directing mechanism 4 can have side openings 4b near its bottom end and a bottom opening 4c at its bottom end to facilitate feed material being passed out of the housing of the feed material directing mechanism toward the comminution mechanism 10 and/or the gap 11 for comminution. The thread 3 lb of the screw 31 can be configured so that rotation of the screw about the vertical axis increases the velocity of the feed material received from feed conduit 9 or in the feed conduit 9 that is in communication with the screw 31 via the side openings 4c f the housing 4d of the feed material directing mechanism. The openings of the housing can also permit rotation of the screw 31 to apply pressure to the feed material in the feed conduit 9 and/or housing 4d of the feed material directing mechanism 4. The rotational speed of the screw 31 can be selected within a range of values to meet a particular set of design criteria. In some embodiments, the screw 31 can be rotated about the shaft 3 la (e.g. a vertical axis) at a rotational speed that is greater than the rotational speed at which moveable bodies 3 rotate. For example, the screw can be rotated at a rotational speed that is 2-7 times greater than the rotational speed of moveable bodies 3. Such a range would be, for example, 2.5 m/s to 8.75 m/s for embodiments where the moveable bodies rotate at a rotational speed of 1.25 m/s. Such an exemplary range would be 3.2-11.2 m/s for embodiments where the moveable bodies 3 rotated at a rotational speed of 1.6 m/s. The rotational speed at which the screw 31 can be rotated can be another selected range, such as a rotational speed that is at least 50% greater than the rotational speed of moveable bodies 3, a rotational speed that is in at least 200% greater than the rotational speed of moveable bodies 3, or a rotational speed that is at least 400% greater than the rotational speed of moveable bodies 3. It should be understood that the exemplary rotational speeds for the moveable bodies 3 can also be other rotational speeds, such as a rotational speed that is lower than 1.25 m/s, a rotational speed that is greater than 1.6 m/s or a rotational speed that is between 1.25 m/s and 1.6 m/s. In some embodiments, the rotational speed of the screw 31 can be selected to match a tangential speed of the moveable bodies.

Testing was conducted on an embodiment of a comminution apparatus 1 configured as a roller press at which rollers were rotated at a rotational speed of 1.25 m/s with a 4,500 kN/m ² of force being applied to material and that included the feed material directing mechanism 4 that had a rotatable screw 31. The screw 31 was rotated at a rotational speed that was 2-7 times the rotational speed of the rollers in this testing. Such rotation of the screw 31 increased the vertical sped of the feed. The test results showed that power draw for the comminution apparatus increased due to the power needed to rotate the screw 31. The power draw increase was in the range of 0.5-12%. But, the throughput of the roller press increased at a much higher rate. The testing showed that the output increased by 20% -80%. This improved output makes the increase in power draw acceptable as the increase in operational costs is outweighed greatly by the increased throughput the use of the feed material directing mechanism 4 provided.

Referring to Figure 4, the feed material directing mechanism 4 can include a feed material directing body 4a that is configured as a piston 41 that can move linearly within a housing 4d in or adjacent a feed conduit 9 so that linear motion of the feed material directing body 4a applies pressure to the feed material and also increases the velocity of the feed material before the feed material is fed to the gap 11 and/or fed into the chamber 6 in which the comminution mechanism 10 is positioned. For such embodiments, the feed material directing body 4a can be configured to move reciprocatingly between a first position and a second position in a linear path of motion in a continuous fashion. For example, the piston 41 can include a piston body 47 that is coupled to a shaft 45 within a housing 43. The piston body 47 can be driven along a linear path of motion reciprocatingly between an upper end position and a bottom end position via motion of the shaft 45. The reciprocal linear motion of the shaft 45 can be driven by a motor, an actuator or other type of drive mechanism. The piston 41 can be positioned in the feed conduit 9 above the gap 11 so that a bottom end of the housing 4d is in fluid communication with the feed conduit. The reciprocating motion of the piston body 47 can be configured to facilitate an increase in velocity of the feed material within the feed conduit by pre-compressing the feed material prior to the feed material being output into the chamber 6 and being directed to the gap 11 for comminution.

Methods of installing, making and using an embodiment of the comminution apparatus 1 can include providing a new comminution apparatus 1 for operation of that apparatus 1 and can also include retrofitting a pre-existing crushing device (e.g. a roller press or other type of comminution device). For example an exemplary method for use of an embodiment of the feed material directing mechanism with a roller press embodiment of the comminution apparatus 1 is illustrated in the flow chart of Figure 5. As can be seen from the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 5, a method can include a step S101 in which a feed material directing mechanism 4 is installed adjacent a nip that can defined between opposed rollers of a roller press (e.g. is installed above and adjacent a gap 11 for an embodiment of the comminution apparatus configured as a roller press). In some embodiments, the installing of the feed material directing mechanism 4 can be performed such that the inclusion of the feed material directing mechanism is the only modification made to a roller press configuration of a comminution apparatus 1 being retrofitted to include the feed material directing mechanism. The addition of the feed material directing mechanism 4 could also include a modification to a feed conduit 9 or a housing 6 to facilitate the positioning and connection of the feed material directing mechanism 4 adjacent the comminution mechanism 10. In step S102, the feed material directing mechanism can be used to pre-compress feed material for comminution before the feed material is directed to the nip defined between the rollers (e.g. gap 11 for an embodiment of the comminution apparatus 1 configured as a roller press). The pre-compressing of the feed material can be effected via apply pressure to the feed material to compress the material. The pre-compressing can also result in increasing the speed or velocity of the feed material provided by rotation or linear motion of at least one feed material directing body 4a to increase the speed or velocity of the feed material for directing the feed material to the nip. A step S 103 of the method can include directing the pre-compressed feed material from the feed material directing mechanism to the nip and step S104 can include comminuting the feed material directed to the nip via rotation of the rollers (e.g. via rotation of moveable bodies 3 of an embodiment of the comminution apparatus 1 configured as a roller press). It should be understood that other embodiments of the method may be utilized for other comminution apparatus embodiments or comminution apparatus configurations (e.g. other types of presses or other types of mills, etc.). It should be understood that the installation and operation of the feed material directing mechanism 4 for the method shown in Figure 5 can be an installation and operation of any of the embodiments of the feed material directing mechanism 4 discussed herein (e.g. the embodiments shown in Figures 1-4, etc.).

Embodiments of the method, comminution apparatus 1 and feed material directing mechanism 4 that we have developed can provide a number of benefits for meeting a desired set of design criteria. For example, embodiments can be configured to allow feed material to be distributed uniformly to a comminution mechanism 10. Embodiments can also be configured to provide a means to address skewing that can result from operations of some types of

conventional devices. Embodiments can also be configured to minimize or eliminate feed through fall (e.g. feed passing through a device without being comminuted) that can occur from conventional devices.

Embodiments of the method, comminution apparatus 1 and feed material directing mechanism 4 can also allow for other improvements. For instance, wear experienced by moveable bodies 3 can be reduced as compared to conventional devices so that the life of the moveable bodies is greater. Such improved wear performance can be due to wear profile control that can be provided by the improved feed control that can be provided by the feed material directing mechanism 4. The improved performance and efficiencies that can be provided by embodiments of the feed material directing mechanism 4 can also allow the design and weight of other costly components for a comminution apparatus to be reduced as compared to a conventional device that does not include such a feature. This can reduce the cost of the apparatus 1 while allowing the performance of the apparatus to be the same or to be improved.

The improved performance and efficiencies that can be provided by embodiments of the feed material directing mechanism 4 can also allow the size range of feed material to be increased so that larger particle size ranged feed material can be fed to the comminution mechanism 10 (e.g. material that has a larger size range such as larger raw material feed) and can also permit finer material to be effectively comminuted than conventional devices (e.g. material having a smaller size range than is conventional used). For example, it is contemplated that embodiments of the comminution apparatus 1 can be configured for finished grinding that is conventionally performed by a ball mill so that a ball mill would not be needed for such processing.

It should be appreciated that the comminution apparatus 1 or feed material directing mechanism 4 for such an apparatus can have a number of configurations for meeting a particular set of design criteria. For example, the size or shape of the housing 2 in which moveable bodies 3 are positioned can be any of a number of shapes or sizes and the shape of the chamber 6 in which the moveable bodies 3 are positioned can be any suitable size or shape needed to meet a particular set of design criteria. As another example, the number of feed directing bodies 4a that are moveable and their size and shape can be configured to meet a particular set of design criteria. As yet another example, the shape and size of the feed conduit 9 or the moveable bodies can be any shape or size needed to meet a particular set of design criteria (e.g. operational goals, output objectives, operational constraints, etc.). As yet another example, it is contemplated that a particular feature described, either individually or as part of an embodiment, can be combined with other individually described features, or parts of other embodiments. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described herein can therefore be combined to provide further embodiments. Thus, while certain exemplary embodiments of the comminution apparatus 1, feed material directing mechanism 4, and methods of making and using the same have been shown and described above, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.