Influence of the milling parameters on the mechanical work intensity in planetary mills

The formation of ZnSe via a mechanically-induced self-sustaining reaction (MSR) from a Zn/Se mixture showed that only size reduction and mixing of the reactants without product formation occurred during the induction period prior to ignition. Therefore, all mechanical energy supplied by the planetary mill during this time, called the ignition time (tig), was used exclusively in the activation of the reactants. This system was chosen to study the dependence of tig on the main parameters characterising the milling intensity of planetary mills. The variation of the ignition time with the process conditions reflected changes in the mechanical dose rate of the planetary mill. A direct relationship between the inverse of the ignition time and the power of the planetary mill was established, which allows the validation of theoretical models proposed in the literature for the energy transfer in milling devices and the comparison of milling equipment efficiencies. The dependence of ignition time of MSR processes on the milling parameters characterising milling intensity in planetary mills was studied. The direct relationship established between the inverse of the ignition time and the mechanical dose provided by the mill enables the comparison of efficiencies of milling devices and the validation of theoretical models proposed for the energy transfer in mills. [Display omitted] ► MSR processes are useful in the mechanochemistry context ► Ignition time as a marker of mechanical energy dose in milling devices ► Inverse relationship between the ignition time and the milling power ► Frequency of motion and ball-to-powder ratio mainly determine the milling energy ► Scalable character of milling experiments performed in planetary mills