Traditional ball mill liners are made of cast high-manganese steel, with unit consumption ranging from several hundred grams to 1-2 kg per ton of ore. Millions of tons of high-manganese steel liners are consumed nationwide annually. To address this, many wear-resistant material research and production organizations have dedicated significant effort to improving the material's wear resistance, leading to the development of ball mill rubber liners.

Ball mill rubber liners are polymer compounds, primarily made from synthetic rubber with high elasticity and excellent wear resistance, blended with a certain proportion of natural rubber to achieve excellent dispersion, uniformity, and co-vulcanization. Domestic and international manufacturers have demonstrated that using ball mill rubber liners can extend the life of ball mill liners, reduce costs, ease the workload of maintenance workers, and improve the operating environment, resulting in significant economic and social benefits.

1. Wear-resistant and long-lasting

Rubber is a long-chain polymer compound with excellent wear resistance and a low weight. Because rubber linings fully utilize the excellent wear resistance of rubber, they offer significant advantages in terms of service life. Generally speaking, the service life of a ball mill rubber lining is more than three times that of a manganese steel lining, especially in the second grinding stage.

2. Reduced Steel Ball Consumption

During the wet grinding process, steel ball wear is significant and a significant cost factor in mineral processing production. Tests have shown that ball consumption in a ball mill equipped with rubber linings is reduced by approximately 0.20 kg/t.

3. Reduced Liner Weight

A single high-manganese steel liner weighs over 100 kg, while a rubber liner weighs only approximately 20 kg. This significantly reduces the labor intensity of rubber lining installation, ensuring worker safety. It also improves the stress conditions on the mill's drive gears, significantly extending the service life of the pinions.

4. Reduced Downtime

The grate holes in the steel grating of a ball mill often clog during discharge, impacting both processing capacity and product fineness, and disrupting normal mill operation. However, the grate holes in rubber gratings rarely clog, eliminating the need to stop the mill for grate cleaning. Furthermore, rubber-lined mills prevent slurry leakage, eliminating the need for maintenance. Consequently, downtime is significantly reduced, improving mill availability and processing capacity.

5. Energy Saving

A comparison shows that a rubber liner for the same ball mill weighs less than one-third of a manganese steel liner of the same specification, resulting in energy savings of over 10% to 20%. Furthermore, rubber lining reduces grinding energy (electricity) consumption. Whether used in magnetic separation plants or flotation plants, ball mills using rubber linings generally experience a 10-15% reduction in grinding power consumption.

6. Low Noise

The elasticity of rubber acts as a "cushion" on the mill cylinder, cushioning the impact of the steel balls on the cylinder, reducing noise by 5-10 dB and improving the production environment. High-manganese steel liners often produce noise levels of 100-110dB, significantly exceeding environmental regulations and seriously endangering workers' hearing health. However, rubber liners offer strong damping and absorption properties, reducing mill noise by 10-15dB, significantly improving the grinding work environment and ensuring workers' physical and mental health.

7. Reduced Production Efficiency

Because ball mill rubber liners are thicker than traditional manganese steel liners, they reduce the effective space within the cylinder. Furthermore, their "cushioning" effect not only cushions the impact of the steel balls on the cylinder but also absorbs their potential energy, reducing the impact of the steel balls on the ore, thereby reducing the ball mill's production capacity.