Further study of grain boundary fracture in the breakage of single multiphase particles using X-ray microtomography procedures

• Published in: Minerals engineering 2013-06, Vol.46-47, p.89-94
• Main Authors: Xu, Wenjing, Dhawan, Nikhil, Lin, Chen-Luh, Miller, Jan D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Grain boundary fracture; Interfacial area; Liberation; Particle breakage; Slow compression; X-ray microtomography
• ISSN: 0892-6875; 1872-9444
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mineng.2013.03.016

Specific interfacial area ratio versus specific energy dissipation rate for failure of copper sulfide ore cubes 3mm and 6mm in size. [Display omitted] •Verification of the quantitative analysis of grain boundary fracture.•Breakage of cubic multiphase copper ore particles by slow compression.•Interfacial area was determined from XMT reconstructed images using the Marching Cube method.•Preferential grain boundary fracture only occurs at low energy dissipation rates.•Current results confirm initial results for 3mm cubes published previously. The present work aims to verify the 3D quantitative analysis of grain boundary fracture in the breakage of single multiphase particles using X-ray microtomography. The breakage of single multiphase copper ore particles (6mm cubic particles) by slow compression was examined. From XMT reconstructed images using the Marching Cube method, interfacial areas between copper mineral grains and host rock were determined for both parent particles and progeny particles. In this way, the specific interfacial area ratio was calculated as a metric for grain boundary fracture. Preferential grain boundary fracture only occurs at low energy dissipation rates and the current results confirm initial results for 3mm cubes published previously by Garcia et al. (2009).