A vertical shaft impact crusher (VSI) is a specialized machine designed to crush hard and abrasive materials (e.g., granite, basalt, quartzite) into high-quality, cubical-shaped aggregates. It operates by accelerating material at high speeds and throwing it against stationary anvils or rock-lined crushing chambers, leveraging the "rock-on-rock" or "rock-on-anvil" principle. This method minimizes wear on metal parts and produces uniformly shaped end products, making VSIs ideal for construction, mining, and industrial applications.

Key Features & Mechanism

  1. Vertical Rotor Design:

    • A high-speed rotor (up to 80 m/s) propels material outward.

    • Crushing Chamber: Equipped with adjustable anvils or rock shelves to control particle size and shape.

  2. Rock-on-Rock vs. Rock-on-Anvil:

    • Rock-on-Rock: Material collides with itself, reducing wear on metal components.

    • Rock-on-Anvil: Material impacts fixed metal surfaces for finer shaping.

  3. Adjustable Output:

    • Particle size controlled by rotor speed, feed rate, and chamber configuration.

    • Produces sand (0–5 mm) to coarse aggregates (up to 40 mm).

  4. Low Operating Costs:

    • Minimal metal-to-material contact reduces wear part replacement frequency.

  5. Energy Efficiency:

    • Direct impact crushing requires less energy compared to compression-based crushers.

Applications

  • Manufacturing cubical sand for concrete and asphalt.

  • Shaping aggregates for road surfaces and railway ballast.

  • Recycling glass, slag, and industrial minerals.

  • Crushing highly abrasive ores in mining.

Advantages Over Other Crushers

  • Superior product shape (95% cubical particles).

  • Consistent gradation for high-strength concrete.

  • Dual functionality: crushing and shaping in one stage.