In a vertical shaft impact crusher, the particle crushing process is extraordinarily complex, and the particle shape significantly influences the size distribution of the crushed product. To quantify the crushing behavior of particles more accurately and thus reveal the crushing mechanism of the crusher, an analytical approach is suggested for characterizing the crushing distribution of particles subjected to rotational impact. First, according to the working principle of vertical shaft impact crusher, a rotary impact tester was designed, and the cumulative damage model of particles under repetitive impact was established based on the theory of fracture mechanics, based on which the simulation model of single-particle rotary impact tester was constructed. Then, seven distinct particle shapes were established based on the particle shapes observed during the crusher's actual production. Finally, an investigation was conducted using the simulation model to examine the impact of various rotor velocities and particle shapes on the macroscopic mechanical properties and crushing distribution attributes of single-particle crushing. In the single-particle rotary impact crushing experiments, the findings indicated that the particle crushing transpired at the site of contact with the anvil. The particle size distribution of subparticles generated through the crushing with distinct particle shapes all exhibit single-peak characteristics as rotor speed increases. The magnitude of the peak value progressively escalates in tandem with the rotor speed increase. Furthermore, as the rotor speed increases, so do the cumulative mass distribution and the maximum continuous crushing cumulative mass. When the horizontal aspect ratio of the particles is V < 1 and V > 1, the crushing effect of the particles is poor at the same rotational speed; the curve of the maximum continuous crushing degree has an inverted "V″ shape. The crushing effect of the particles improves as their edges become progressively sharper, and the maximum continuous crushing degree of the particles increases as the edge sharpness of the particles advances.