A system dynamics model to estimate energy, temperature, and particle size in planetary ball milling

System Dynamics (SD) is a mathematical method of modeling to understand and analyze complex problems. In this study, assuming collision as the dominant energy transfer event, a SD model was for the first time developed to quantify milling energy in planetary ball mills. The main advantage of this modeling approach is that the dependency of various milling parameters is considered. The milling energy estimated by the SD model, which is derived from Majini-Iassona equations, allows predicting the mean particle size and milling temperature as a function of time. A good agreement was found between the results of the model and some experimental studies, suggesting the merit of the proposed model. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.