What Role Does The Coupling Play in The Grinding Mill?

Couplings play a crucial role in connecting, transmitting power and compensating for deviations in the grinding mill. They are one of the indispensable core components in the grinding mill's transmission system.

Connection and power transmission

This is the most fundamental function of couplings. Mills are usually driven by high-power electric motors. After the speed is reduced and the torque is increased through a reducer, the power is then transmitted to the mill's cylinder to make it rotate.

• The coupling is mainly used to connect the output shaft of the reducer and the input shaft of the mill cylinder (i.e., the hollow shaft or drive shaft).

• Torque transmission: It smoothly and reliably transmits the high torque generated by the reducer to the grinding mill cylinder, to overcome the huge weight of the grinding media and materials inside the cylinder and the frictional force they produce, enabling the cylinder to keep rotating continuously.

Compensate for various deviations

During the installation and operation of large equipment, it is impossible to achieve perfect alignment, and deviations will also occur during operation. Couplings can effectively compensate for these deviations, ensuring the continuity and stability of power transmission. These deviations include:

• Radial deviation: The axes of the two shafts are parallel but not on the same straight line.

• Axial deviation: The lateral movement of the two axes along the axis direction.

• Angular deviation: There is an angle formed between the two axis lines.

• Comprehensive deviation: All three types of deviations exist simultaneously.

Buffering and vibration absorption

During the operation of the mill, the working conditions are complex:

• Uneven load: During the lifting and dropping process of the grinding media (steel balls, steel rods, etc.) and the materials inside the cylinder, the load generated is a periodically changing one.

• Impact vibration: When materials are crushed and ground, impact and vibration will be generated.

Safety Protection

Some types of couplings are also equipped with overload protection functions (such as safety pin couplings or friction plate couplings). When the mill experiences severe overloading or jamming, the protective components of the coupling will first break or slip, thereby cutting off the power transmission and preventing the key equipment such as the main motor and reducer from being damaged due to overload, thus playing a safety insurance role.

Easy for installation and maintenance

After using the coupling for connection, the motor, reducer and the main body of the mill can be installed separately, and then the alignment adjustment can be carried out. This greatly reduces the difficulty of the overall installation. During subsequent maintenance, if it is necessary to replace the motor or the reducer, it is only necessary to disconnect the coupling, without moving the huge mill cylinder, which facilitates the inspection and maintenance of the equipment.

Therefore, without the coupling, the huge and complex transmission system of the mill would not be able to operate smoothly, reliably and safely.