Evaluating the grinding process of granitic rocks using the physico-mechanical and mineralogical properties

Granitic rocks are sometimes ground for different purposes. Predicting the mean particle size (d50) is useful for planning and cost estimation of purposes. In order to investigate the possibility of predicting the d50 of ground rock from the physico-mechanical rock properties, six different granites were tested in the laboratory. First, the d50 values were correlated with the corresponding physico-mechanical properties. The simple regression analysis showed that there were no good correlations between the d50 and the physico-mechanical properties. Then, the multiple regression analysis was carried out and strong prediction equations were developed. It was also shown that the dominant parameter in grinding was the abrasive mineral content of rock. It is concluded that the d50 of granites can be predicted from the derived multiple regression equations especially for preliminary investigations. The developed estimation equations including index test values are especially useful since they are easy to use.