Stamp mill
Stamp mill is a type of mill used to crush material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation.
Description[edit | edit source]
A stamp mill consists of a set of heavy steel (iron-shod wood in some cases) stamps, loosely held vertically in a frame, in which the stamps can slide up and down. They are lifted by cams on a horizontal rotating shaft. As the cam moves from under the stamp, the stamp falls onto the ore below, crushing the rock, and the lifting process is repeated at the next pass of the cam. Each one frame and stamp set is sometimes called a "battery" or, confusingly, a "stamp" and mills are sometimes categorised by how many stamps they have, i.e. a "10 stamp mill" has 10 sets.
History[edit | edit source]
Stamp mills were used by miners in Samarkand as early as 973. They were used in medieval Persia to crush mineral ores. By the 11th century, stamp mills were in widespread use throughout the medieval Islamic world, from Islamic Spain and North Africa in the west to Central Asia in the east. The basic design has not changed by much other than the drive mechanisms.
In the United States, the first stamp mill in the Californian Gold Rush came into use at the beginning of 1850s at Sutter's Mill. Stamp mills were the first mass-produced machine used to crush and grind gold and other minerals. A stamp mill is a large mechanical device used to crush ore and extract the desired metals from the host material. It uses heavy steel stamps to crush and break apart material, releasing the valuable gold from worthless rock, allowing for the extraction of gold for further refining.
Operation[edit | edit source]
The basic principle of operation involves feeding the ore into a hopper, where it is then slowly fed into the crushing area of the stamp mill. The stamps are repeatedly raised and dropped onto the ore, crushing it into fine sand or pulverized form, depending on the nature of the ore and the desired outcome. Water is often added to the process, both to help with the crushing process and to wash away the finely ground ore.
Types of Stamp Mills[edit | edit source]
There are many types of stamp mills, some of which are:
- Gravity Mill - uses gravity to feed the ore through the mill.
- Water-powered - uses water to drive the mechanical process.
- Steam-powered - uses steam engines to provide the power to crush the ore.
Applications[edit | edit source]
Stamp mills were widely used in the mining industry to crush ore. Their applications included gold, silver, and copper mining. With the advent of more efficient processing methods, stamp mills have largely been replaced by more modern machinery, but they can still be found in some locations, serving as historical artifacts or as operational machines for small-scale mining operations.
Preservation[edit | edit source]
Many stamp mills have been preserved as historic artifacts, and some are even operational in tourist attractions where visitors can see and hear the mills in action. These preserved stamp mills offer a glimpse into the past and demonstrate the industrial history of mining.
See Also[edit | edit source]
Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Translate this page: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
தமிழ்,
తెలుగు,
Urdu,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
বাংলা
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
Greek,
português do Brasil,
polski,
română,
русский,
Nederlands,
norsk,
svenska,
suomi,
Italian
Middle Eastern & African
عربى,
Turkish,
Persian,
Hebrew,
Afrikaans,
isiZulu,
Kiswahili,
Other
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
മലയാളം,
मराठी,
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
ગુજરાતી,
Portuguese,
Ukrainian
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD