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Mechanical Processing of Granular and Fibrous Materials (Second Edition)
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Mechanical Processing of Granular and Fibrous Materials (Second Edition)

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 8232

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Michał Bembenek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Krakow, A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Interests: mechanical engineering; agglomeration; technological devices; surface engineering; circular economy; solid fuels; CNC machining; 3D printing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Not all of us are aware that in order to manufacture a face powder, a mineral such as talc or chalk must be crushed and milled to a specified grain size, so that it can be properly applied to the face, and then agglomerated for further product packaging, safe transportation and ease of dosing for end users.

Additionally, extracted copper ore, which contains only a few percent of pure copper, requires firstly grinding, then mechanical enrichment and lastly briquetting before the process of smelting copper matte. Such examples, although small and narrow, illustrate well that the mechanical processing of granular and fibrous materials, although usually invisible, played a key role in the technological advancement of human civilization. The multitude of materials of this type means that they cannot be easily unified. The granular and fibrous materials can be of various origins, e.g. agricultural, from forest and mining industries, chemical processing, waste management or even the food industry.

Depending on the material application, for example, as a ballast for railway tracks, bread flour, medicine pills etc., for both powder and granules, it is important to achieve proper shape and size.

It is certain that each of these materials in terms of preparation and further use require the selection of an appropriate mechanical processing technology and development of favorable process conditions.

This Special Issue is intended to share our experience with the mechanical processing of granular and fibrous materials from the side of both processes and machines.

I encourage you to publish scientific papers in the field of mechanical processing technologies, machines and devices, as well as new inventions and challenges, in particular regarding crushing, agglomeration, enrichment and waste management.

Prof. Dr. Michał Bembenek
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agglomeration
  • grinding
  • milling
  • screening
  • flotation
  • materials mechanical processing
  • materials transport
  • materials storage

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3055 KiB  
Article
Recycling of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic-Containing Waste and Iron Oxide-Containing Dusts as Aggregates in Metallurgical Processes
by Thomas Krampitz, Jan Lampke, Dirk Dietz and Holger Lieberwirth
Materials 2025, 18(8), 1838; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18081838 - 17 Apr 2025
Viewed by 311
Abstract
The recycling of waste materials that are usually expensive to dispose of, such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) dust and ferrous dust or sludge, can open up interesting economic prospects and free up landfill space. The agglomeration process is used to combine [...] Read more.
The recycling of waste materials that are usually expensive to dispose of, such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) dust and ferrous dust or sludge, can open up interesting economic prospects and free up landfill space. The agglomeration process is used to combine these two types of waste and produce an aggregate that can be used in shaft furnaces. The carbon contained in the CFRP dust serves as a potential reducing agent in metallurgical processes. The report shows the technical parameters of the wet agglomeration with subsequent sintering for the production of the pellets and provides evidence of the material recycling of the carbon fiber waste. A comparison with primary pellets shows the suitability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Processing of Granular and Fibrous Materials (Second Edition))
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20 pages, 4167 KiB  
Article
Effects of Thickness of the Corn Seed Coat on the Strength of Processed Biological Materials
by Łukasz Gierz, Weronika Kruszelnicka, Wiktor Łykowski, Mikołaj Steike, Michał Wichliński, Quirino Estrada and Krzysztof Przybył
Materials 2025, 18(2), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18020222 - 7 Jan 2025
Viewed by 829
Abstract
The strength and energy of processed biological materials depend, among others, on their properties. Despite the numerous studies available, the relationship between the internal structure of corn grains and their mechanical properties has not yet been explained. Hence, the aim of the work [...] Read more.
The strength and energy of processed biological materials depend, among others, on their properties. Despite the numerous studies available, the relationship between the internal structure of corn grains and their mechanical properties has not yet been explained. Hence, the aim of the work is to explore the relationship between the internal composition of maize kernels and its mechanical properties by studying the impact of the maize seed coat thickness on its breakage susceptibility. To achieve the assumed goal, selected physical properties (length, width, and thickness) of corn grains were distinguished, and a static compression test was carried out on the Insight 50 kN testing machine (MTS Systems Corporation, Eden Prairie, MN, USA) with a test system for experimental verification of the compression behavior of biological materials. Furthermore, after the compression test, the thickness of the seed coat was measured using a laboratory microscope. It was found that there is a correlation between the thickness of the maize seed coat and force, deformation, and mass-specific energy at the bioyield point. The presented data constitute a foundation for the development of a mechanistic breakage model considering the variable strength properties of the seed coat and endosperm as the structural elements of kernels. Further research should be focused on the determination of the strength properties under dynamic conditions and revealing the relationship between the loading rate, strength properties, and internal structure for several maize varieties, which better reflect the ranges of variability in the real nature of mechanical processing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Processing of Granular and Fibrous Materials (Second Edition))
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20 pages, 12562 KiB  
Article
The Diatomite Grinding Technology Concept for the Protection of Diatomite Shells and the Control of Product Grading
by Agata Stempkowska, Tomasz Gawenda and Krzysztof Smoroń
Materials 2024, 17(15), 3662; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17153662 - 24 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1023
Abstract
Diatomite deposits in Poland are located in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, and the only active deposit is in Jawornik Ruski. Therefore, it is a unique material. Improved rock processing methods are constantly in demand. In the research presented here, we have used research methods [...] Read more.
Diatomite deposits in Poland are located in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, and the only active deposit is in Jawornik Ruski. Therefore, it is a unique material. Improved rock processing methods are constantly in demand. In the research presented here, we have used research methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), particle shape analysis, and appropriate sets of crushing machines. Diatomite comminution tests were carried out on test stands in different crushers (jaw crusher, hammer crusher, high-pressure roller press, ball mill) using different elementary crushing force actions: crushing, abrasion, and impact, occurring separately or in combination. The machines were tested with selected variable parameters to obtain products with a wide range of grain sizes ranging from 0 to 10 mm. The ball mill (yield 87%, system C3) and the hammer crusher with HPGR (high-pressure grinding roller) (yield 79%, system D2 + D3) have the greatest impact on diatom shell release and accumulation in the finest 0–5 μm and 5–10 μm fractions. For commercial purposes, it is important to obtain very fine fractions while keeping the shells undisturbed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Processing of Granular and Fibrous Materials (Second Edition))
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19 pages, 15297 KiB  
Article
The Influence of the Grinding Media Diameter on Grinding Efficiency in a Vibratory Ball Mill
by Paweł Tomach
Materials 2024, 17(12), 2924; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17122924 - 14 Jun 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2120
Abstract
The grinding process plays a crucial role in industry, allowing for the reduction of particle sizes of raw materials and substances to the required fineness—either as a finished product or for further technological processes. The high demand for micro- and nanopowders or suspensions [...] Read more.
The grinding process plays a crucial role in industry, allowing for the reduction of particle sizes of raw materials and substances to the required fineness—either as a finished product or for further technological processes. The high demand for micro- and nanopowders or suspensions is associated with the high energy consumption of the milling process. Therefore, optimizing the milling process, including correctly selecting grinding media, is essential to reduce energy consumption. This article presents experimental studies of the grinding process of a model material (quartz sand) in a laboratory vibratory mill. Five sets of grinding media with different diameters were used in the research, and grinding was conducted for various durations. The studies showed that the vibratory grinding process is efficient for each set of grinding media and grinding durations. The research has shown that conducting studies on the proper selection of mills is beneficial, especially regarding very fine grinding of various materials. The study confirmed that properly selecting grinding media sets can significantly accelerate the grinding process. For the selected technological variant, it was demonstrated that using 15 mm grinding media, compared to 12 mm, resulted in a 22.5% reduction in grinding time to achieve a specified particle size class of 0–10 μm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Processing of Granular and Fibrous Materials (Second Edition))
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13 pages, 2428 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Density Distribution in a Cylindrical Specimen under Compaction Using the Example of Dry Ice
by Jan Górecki, Maciej Berdychowski, Krzysztof Wałęsa and Boris Kostov
Materials 2024, 17(11), 2658; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17112658 - 31 May 2024
Viewed by 785
Abstract
When dealing with processes involving the compaction of bulk materials, very often the quality of the product is determined based on density measurements. Methods used in the industry do not produce compacted materials with high degrees of homogeneity. As a result, the quality [...] Read more.
When dealing with processes involving the compaction of bulk materials, very often the quality of the product is determined based on density measurements. Methods used in the industry do not produce compacted materials with high degrees of homogeneity. As a result, the quality of the resulting product, interpreted as its density, varies over the cross-section of the product. In this article, the authors present the results of a numerical study involving the analysis of the density distribution of compacted dry ice during the reciprocating process. The Drucker–Prager/cap model was used in this study, which allowed the change in mechanical properties of the compacted material to be taken into account during the simulation of the process. The diameter, height and density of the cylindrical specimens used in the numerical tests were taken as the variable parameters. Thus, as a result of the testing, the authors could formulate conclusions relating to their impact on the homogeneity of the material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Processing of Granular and Fibrous Materials (Second Edition))
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13 pages, 2982 KiB  
Article
Method for Determining the Coefficient of Friction Variation Pattern as a Function of Density at Low Temperatures Using the Example of Dry Ice–Steel Contact
by Jan Górecki, Wiktor Łykowski, Jozef Husar, Lucia Knapčíková and Maciej Berdychowski
Materials 2024, 17(10), 2396; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17102396 - 16 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 991
Abstract
The developments in manufacturing technologies are expected to reduce energy input without compromising product quality. Regarding the material densification process, numerical simulation methods are applied to achieve this goal. In this case, relevant material models are built using functions that describe the variation [...] Read more.
The developments in manufacturing technologies are expected to reduce energy input without compromising product quality. Regarding the material densification process, numerical simulation methods are applied to achieve this goal. In this case, relevant material models are built using functions that describe the variation in mechanical parameters of the material in question due to its deformation. The literature review conducted for this research has revealed a shortage of experimental research methods allowing a determination of the coefficient of friction at low temperatures, approximately 200 K. This article proposes a method for determining the friction coefficient of dry ice sliding against steel. The experimental results were analysed to obtain several functions describing the variation in the coefficient of friction. These functions were then compared using goodness-of-fit indexes. Finally, two functions with similar goodness-of-fit values were chosen. The findings of this research project will complement the already available information and may be used in various research and implementation projects related to the development or improvement of currently used crystallised carbon dioxide conversion processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Processing of Granular and Fibrous Materials (Second Edition))
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20 pages, 2292 KiB  
Article
Modeling of the Efficiency of the Centrifugal Conical Disk Dispenser of Bulk Materials
by Vasyl Dmytriv, Michał Bembenek, Vasyl Banha, Ihor Dmytriv, Damian Dzienniak and Saltanat Nurkusheva
Materials 2024, 17(8), 1815; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17081815 - 15 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1181
Abstract
Centrifugal disk dispensers are widely used in various tasks of dosing bulk, dispersed materials. The design of the disk depends on the physical and mechanical characteristics of the dosing medium. The work discusses the development of an analytical model of the movement of [...] Read more.
Centrifugal disk dispensers are widely used in various tasks of dosing bulk, dispersed materials. The design of the disk depends on the physical and mechanical characteristics of the dosing medium. The work discusses the development of an analytical model of the movement of a material particle along a conical centrifugal disk depending on the kinematic characteristics of the dosing process and the characteristics of the dosing material, as well as experimental confirmation of the theoretical model, which is relevant for the calculation and design of working elements of this type. The obtained system of differential equations is solved using the Runge–Kutta numerical method. Experimental studies were carried out using the method of a planned factorial experiment. The experiment was conducted for three factors at three levels. The feedback criterion was the performance of a centrifugal conical disk dispenser for bulk materials. The disk cone angle was set at 10, 20, and 30°. The disk diameter was 130, 150, and 170 mm, the gap between the disk and the edge of the hopper neck was 6, 8, and 10 mm, and the rotational speed of the conical disk was 0.65, 1.02, and 1.39 rad/s. The dispensing rate of the dispenser ranged from 15 to 770 g/s, depending on the values of the experimental factors. For use in the regression equation of the natural values of the factors, a method of transforming the terms of the equation from coded values to natural ones is provided. The obtained experimental correlation dependencies were checked for reproducibility with Cochrane’s test, and the adequacy of the model was checked using Fisher’s test. The significance of the coefficients in the correlation equation was evaluated using the Student’s t-test. The difference between the experimental data and the results of the theoretical modeling does not exceed 5%. The obtained system of differential equations makes it possible to model the radial velocity of the ascent of bulk material from the conical rotating disk depending on the rotation frequency, disk diameter, and the height of the annular gap between the discharge throat of the hopper and the conical disk. The analytical model enables the modeling of the productivity of the conical dispenser for bulk materials for arbitrary parameters of rotation frequency, disk diameter, and the size of the annular gap between the discharge throat of the hopper and the conical disk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Processing of Granular and Fibrous Materials (Second Edition))
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