The chamber geometry is one of the key factors that influences the performance of a cone crusher. The design of the chamber geometry should take product quality and crushing efficiency into account. In this paper the kinematics of rock material in a crushing chamber, as interparticle breakage occurs, has been analyzed and the chamber division is achieved. Based on the chamber division and a population balance model, the method for chamber geometry design is presented. Combining the empirical model for predicting particle shape with the size distribution model. a flakiness prediction model is proposed. With the size reduction model and flakiness prediction model as constraints, an optimization of the crushing chamber is achieved. Finally, the validity of the crushing chamber optimization model has been verified by an appropriate prototype test. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.