A Novel Approach for Ceramic Ball Media Formulation in Wet Ball Mills

Li, Yuqing; Liao, Ningning; Wu, Caibin; Ye, Jiemei; Cheng, Yue; Tao, Ruien; Ning, Yongfei; Cheng, Yiwei

doi:10.3390/min16010052

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A Novel Approach for Ceramic Ball Media Formulation in Wet Ball Mills

by

Yuqing Li

¹,

Ningning Liao

^1,2,*,

Caibin Wu

^1,2,*,

Jiemei Ye

¹,

Yue Cheng

¹,

Ruien Tao

¹,

Yongfei Ning

¹ and

Yiwei Cheng

¹

Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Low-Carbon Processing and Utilization of Strategic Metal Mineral Resources, Ganzhou 341000, China

²

School of Mining Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou 341000, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Minerals 2026, 16(1), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/min16010052

Submission received: 9 December 2025 / Revised: 29 December 2025 / Accepted: 30 December 2025 / Published: 31 December 2025

(This article belongs to the Collection Advances in Comminution: From Crushing to Grinding Optimization)

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Abstract

Ceramic balls, as an emerging grinding medium, require a systematic method for optimizing their size distribution in wet ball mills. This study proposes an innovative approach that integrates Duan’s semi-theoretical ball diameter formula with breakage statistical mechanics to determine the optimal ceramic ball size distribution. The ideal ball diameters for grinding 2.36–3.0 mm, 1.18–2.36 mm, 0.60–1.18 mm, and 0.30–0.60 mm tungsten ore were identified as 55 mm, 50 mm, 35 mm, and 20 mm, respectively. Subsequently, the optimal ball size distribution was formulated as CB3: Ø55 mm:Ø50 mm:Ø35 mm:Ø20 mm = 30%:40%:20%:10%. Comparative sieve analysis and discrete element method (DEM) simulations confirmed that the CB3 distribution yields the highest proportion of qualified particles, the most favorable collision frequency, and the greatest kinetic energy among all tested configurations. The proposed method demonstrates both accuracy and practicality, providing a theoretical foundation for the industrial application of ceramic ball grinding systems.

Keywords: ceramic balls; ball diameter calculation formula; ball size distribution; discrete element model

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MDPI and ACS Style

Li, Y.; Liao, N.; Wu, C.; Ye, J.; Cheng, Y.; Tao, R.; Ning, Y.; Cheng, Y. A Novel Approach for Ceramic Ball Media Formulation in Wet Ball Mills. Minerals 2026, 16, 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16010052

AMA Style

Li Y, Liao N, Wu C, Ye J, Cheng Y, Tao R, Ning Y, Cheng Y. A Novel Approach for Ceramic Ball Media Formulation in Wet Ball Mills. Minerals. 2026; 16(1):52. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16010052

Chicago/Turabian Style

Li, Yuqing, Ningning Liao, Caibin Wu, Jiemei Ye, Yue Cheng, Ruien Tao, Yongfei Ning, and Yiwei Cheng. 2026. "A Novel Approach for Ceramic Ball Media Formulation in Wet Ball Mills" Minerals 16, no. 1: 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16010052

APA Style

Li, Y., Liao, N., Wu, C., Ye, J., Cheng, Y., Tao, R., Ning, Y., & Cheng, Y. (2026). A Novel Approach for Ceramic Ball Media Formulation in Wet Ball Mills. Minerals, 16(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16010052

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A Novel Approach for Ceramic Ball Media Formulation in Wet Ball Mills

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