Heating characteristics of igneous rock-forming minerals under microwave irradiation

Microwave-assisted mechanical excavation has been considered as a promising rock breakage method and is widely studied in recent years. Heating characteristics of minerals are the basis of research on the weakening effect of microwave irradiation on rock. In this paper, 14 igneous rock-forming minerals were microwave heated. The influences of microwave power, mineral group/sub-group, element content and water on the heating characteristics of these minerals were analyzed. The results show that the microwave sensitivities of these minerals can be categorized into different levels according to their heating rates. As the microwave power increases, the microwave sensitivity of minerals remains unchanged. Mineral group has the greatest influence on their microwave sensitivities, followed by crystal structure and iron content. In addition, different kinds of water contained in minerals greatly influence their heating characteristics.