Kiesel, Richard F2017-06-012017-06-012005-09-13https://hdl.handle.net/11299/188308The objective of this research project was to correlate the physical quality of green balls with their behavior in the elastic region of the deformation curve under load. An understanding of the parameters that are key to the production of these quality standards will help to improve the quality of their products. Green ball quality is accepted by the industry as one of these key parameters. A procedure to further characterize green balls and develop a relationship to current quality assessment procedures will provide insight to the physical attributes and integrity of the green balls. A digital force gauge and compression test stand interlocked with PC based software was used to collect data and develop the relationship with the deformation of the green ball. Data on both wet and dried green balls were collected on varied bentonite additions and green ball moisture concentrations. The slope of the deformation curve, in the elastic region, was studied with regards to the green ball drop number, moisture content, wet strength and dry strength. The deformation behavior of the green balls is indirectly proportional to the slope of the deformation curve. As the elasticity of the green ball increases, the dry drop number, wet drop number and dry compressive strength is reduced. Although no significantly strong relationships are present, it is believed that the relationships to green ball quality, by collecting sufficient data over a period of time, can be significant.enGreen ball qualityDeformation curveBentoniteNatural Resources Research InstituteUniversity of Minnesota DuluthTechnical Report