Question

In hammer mill operations, the dominant force is

• A. Compressive force
• B. Shear force
• C. Impact force
• D. Centrifugal force

Hint:

The name of the equipment gives a strong clue to its mechanism. A \textbf{hammer} mill works by hitting or \textbf{impacting} the material. A roller mill works by compression. A disk mill works by shear/attrition.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: A hammer mill's operation involves a rotating shaft with mounted hammers. The high-speed rotation causes the hammers to strike and shatter the material fed into the mill.

Step 2: The primary size reduction method is impact. High-speed collisions between the hammers and the material cause fragmentation. Although shear and compression (attrition) may contribute slightly as particles interact with the screen, impact is the main force behind the size reduction.