Wichita GMC Grinding Mill Clutches for Fertilizer Plant Ball Mills

One of China’s largest chemical/fertilizer producers was experiencing unusually high failure rates of the clutches installed on three ball mills at its processing facility. The clutch’s friction discs needed to be replaced every six months which was a very costly and labor intensive problem.

In late 2018, the facility operators decided to undertake a complete renovation of the mills, including the replacement of the clutches, to rectify the unsustainable situation. They contacted five different clutch manufacturers for proposals. Wichita Clutch, along with its local distributor partner, recommended the installation of reliable Model 342 Grinding Mill Clutches (GMCs) on all three mills. Since Wichita was not a well-recognized brand in the Chinese chemical phosphorite industry, a customer tour of a nearby facility where Wichita clutches were successfully installed was arranged. After the tour and a review of all the clutch proposals, the customer ultimately selected the Wichita Clutch solution based on competitive pricing and a high level of trust.

Wichita Model 342 GMC units with 42 in. diameter friction discs have a torque rating of 2,898,070 in.lbs. (327,437 Nm). The air-applied GMCs are specially designed to provide quick, smooth starts with limited current surge on geared grinding mills with large inertia loads. Wichita GMC models 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. GMC units also utilize a special high energy absorbing, high-coefficient friction material for greater heat dissipation during mill jogging and inching operations.