What Faults Cause a Cone Crusher to Jam?

Cone crushers often get stuck due to sudden malfunctions. This problem seriously disrupts normal production and shortens the service life of the whole machine and its parts. Below we talk about three common situations that lead to a stuck cone crusher.

1. Movable cone and adjustment sleeve get locked up

When the cone crusher runs under load, pressure loss in the hydraulic station will cause the locking mechanism to fail. The adjustment sleeve will then spin together with the movable cone. If operators fail to spot and fix the issue in time, the sleeve will get locked firmly, forcing the crusher to shut down.

This fault can also happen due to poor thread lubrication, worn seals on the adjusting cap or dust cover, scratched threads between the adjustment sleeve and support sleeve, as well as long-term overloading of the equipment.

2. Material blockage causing jamming

Overfeeding or feeding material that does not meet operational standards will lead to blockages inside the crusher. This makes the operating current spike, triggering the circuit protection system to stop the machine. In severe cases, the crusher gets completely stuck and has to stop working.

If iron pieces or other uncrushable objects fall into the crushing chamber, material blockage and equipment jamming will also occur.

3. Main shaft breakage resulting in seizure

Improper operation is a major cause of main shaft breakage. For example, operators may keep narrowing the discharge opening to get finer output material. When hard uncrushable items enter the chamber, they deliver a strong impact to the main shaft, which will snap and lock up the machine.

Besides, running the crusher under heavy load for a long time will also damage the main shaft, even with overload protection devices installed. A broken main shaft will eventually make the whole equipment seize up.