CY6251 : Engineering Chemistry II
Unit 4 : Engineering Materials - Abrasives
(C) Dept of Applied Chemistry - SVCE 1
Contents
• Introduction
• Hardness of abrasives
• Classification of abrasives
• Natural abrasives
• Non siliceous
• Siliceous
• Synthetic abrasives
• Application of abrasives
• Abrasive paper or cloth
• Grinding wheel
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Introduction
Abrasives are very hard substances used for grinding,
shaping and polishing other materials
Properties
Have very high melting point
Chemically inert
High abrasive power (ability to scratch away or sharp
other materials)
Sometimes hard and brittle or soft and flexible
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Hardness of Abrasives
“The Moh’s scale of mineral hardness is a qualitative ordinal scale which
characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a
harder material to scratch a softer material. The hardness of an abrasive material is
measured by Moh’s scale”
Soft Abrasives
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Characteristics of Abrasives
Hard
Resist abrading action
Chemically inactive
High refractoriness
High Melting Point
Not affected by frictional heat
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Type of Abrasives
Abrasives
NATURAL ABRASIVE SYNTHETIC ABRASIVE
• Carborundum
NON- SILICEOUS SILICEOUS
ABRASIVE
• Alundum
ABRASIVE
• Norbide
• Diamond • Quartz
• Corundum • Garnets
• Emery
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Natural Abrasives : Non Siliceous
Diamond Corundum Emery
• Crystalline Carbon, hardest • Pure Crystalline Alumina • Fine grained , opaque, black
substance (Al2O3) color material
• Ranks first in Moh’s scale • Transparent material, but • Aggregate of 55- 75 %
(Hardness 10) can have different color crystalline alumina, 20-40
• Chemically insert based on the presence of % magnetite, 12 % other
• Not affected by Acids & impurities in it. ( If red , its materials (tourmaline)
Alkalis called Ruby ) • Ranks third in Moh’s scale
• Borts – Off Color Diamond • Ranks second in Moh’s (Hardness 8)
Carbando – Black color scale (Hardness 9) • Grinding depends on
diamond proportion of alumina
Uses : Uses : Uses :
Drilling points Grinding Tips of cutting and drilling
Cutting stones, rocks Glass tools
Grinding wheels Gems Making abrasive papers &
Metals cloth
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Natural Abrasives : Siliceous
Garnet Quartz
• Trisilicates of alumina, magnesia and
• Pure Crystalline Silica
ferrous oxide.
• General Formula : Si O2
• General formula : X3Y2(SiO4)3
• Ranks fourth in Moh’s scale (Hardness 7)
• Major varieties:
• Grossular : Ca3Al2Si3O12
• Andradite : Ca3Fe2Si3O12 Uses :
• Spessartine : Mn3Fe2Si3O12
• Hardness : 6.5 to 7.5 in Moh’s scale Grinding pigments in paint industry
Granules in grinding machines
Uses : Hydrated form used in sand paper
Along with glue to make paper or cloth as it
is soft in nature
Bearing pivots, watches, glass grinding and
polishing metal
(C) Dept of Applied Chemistry - SVCE 8
Synthetic Abrasives : Carborumdum or Silicon Carbide
Manufacturing process
1500oC
• SiO2 + 3C SiC + 2CO
• Addition of saw dust while burning increases the porosity
• Addition of salt removes iron and other impurities as volatile
chlorides, which too increases porosity
• Binded with clay or silicon nitrate
Uses:
Properties
Heating elements in furnaces as rods
and bars
• High thermal conductivity, intermediate between
Partialmetals and
walls of ceramics
chamber klins, coke
• Low expansion ovens, muffle furnace
• High resistance to abrasion and spalling When bonded with tar are excellent for
• Withstands load upto 1650 oC making high conductivity crucibles
• Intermediate between conductors and insulators
• Self bonded product > Silicon nitrite bonded product > Clay bonded
product
Strength , Density , Abrasion-resistance , Chemical resistance, softening temperature
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Synthetic Abrasives : Norbide or Boron Carbide
Manufacturing process
2700oC
• 2B2O3 + 7C B4C + 6CO
Properties
• Hardness is 9 on Moh’s scale
• Light weight and black in color
• Resistance to chemical and erosion
• Better than diamond in resisting oxidation
Uses
• Grinding dyes
• Cutting and sharpening of hard high speed tools
• Used to prepare scratch and wear resistance coatings
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Synthetic Abrasives : Alundum
Manufacturing process
• Bauxite (Al) + 3O2 2Al2O3
C
Properties
• Hardness is 9 on Moh’s scale
• Resistance to acids
• Stable at high temperature
• Not as hard as carborundum, but less brittle and tougher
Uses
• Grinding hard steel and high tensile strength materials
• Manufacturing of abrasive wheels
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Applications of Abrasives
As loose powder
Example : Quartz and Garnet
As abrasive paper or cloth
Example : Alumina and Silicon carbide
Grinding wheels
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Abrasive paper or cloth
Abrasive powder
Or grit
Paper / cloth roll Cutter
Hopper
Thin glu spray Warm drying
Glu spray
room
Rollers
Figure showing manufacturing of Abrasive paper or cloth Abrasive paper or
Cloth sheet
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Grinding Wheels
Are expandable wheels, composed of an abrasive compound
Characteristics
Abrasive Grain
Actual abrasive is selected according to the intended purpose of the grinding
wheel and hardness of the material being cut
Grain Size
Grain size vary from 8 (coarsest) Uses:
to 1200 (finest) determines the physical size of
the abrasive grains Removal of scales from the iron
Wheel grade surfaces
Sharpening cutting tools
Grade from A (soft) to Z (hard), determines how tightly the bond holds the
Sharpen the knives, tools etc.,
abrasive
Grain spacing
Varies from 1 (densest) to 16 (least dense)
Wheel bond
It determines how the wheel holds the abrasive
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Manufacturing of Grinding Wheels
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