Re: Milling Media Geometry

In article <GGKug.3645$Eh7.825@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Lloyd E. Sponenburgh
says...


No, not really. The average dimension of the point of contact between two
radiused cylinders is a mathematical point, with one singularity of a
mathematical line, if the cylinders make contact when perfectly parallel.
Radiused-end cylinders offer a slight improvement in milling speed over
spherical media, in that they have slightly greater surface area per volume
than do spheres.


Indeed, I believe that of all possible 3-dimensional shapes of a given volume,
the sphere is the one that has the least surface area. I cannot recall where I
saw the proof of this. It is the reason why liquids tend to form spherical drops
under the influence of surface tension, as, e.g., in the making of bird shot or
atomized aluminum.

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