Wichita Grinding Mill Clutch for Copper Mine Grinding Mill

A reliable clutch solution was required for a ball mill at one of the world’s largest (and oldest) open pit copper mines located in Mexico. The clutch’s primary role on the dual-pinion, direct-drive geared mill is to provide smooth starts during mill startup. When the mill is running, the clutch also serves as a torque “circuit breaker,” reducing costly repairs and downtime by protecting the pinion and ring gear from potential damage caused by large pieces of grinding material.

To meet the demanding mill application requirements, Wichita Clutch supplied a Model 360 Grinding Mill Clutch (GMC) with 60 in. diameter friction discs and a torque rating of 11,870,250 in.lbs. (1,341,158 Nm).

Wichita air-applied GMCs are specially designed to provide quick, smooth starts with limited current surge on heavy-duty geared grinding mills with large inertia loads. The clutches are typically positioned on the mill’s pinion shaft drive ring gear.

Wichita GMC models also utilize a special high energy absorbing, high-coefficient friction material for greater heat dissipation during mill jogging and inching operations. Units are equipped with a driving adapter that is designed to allow the clutch to be used in a shaft-to-shaft or through-shaft coupling arrangement. A quick-change feature enables replacement of any wearing clutch part without disturbing either shaft.

The Wichita Clutch airtube design combines all the best features of a disc type clutch with all the advantages of direct air engagement. It is the simplest and most trouble-free method of applying air pressure yet designed.