Abrasive Machining

By Joan, Jill and Jackie

 Overview
What is abrasive
Types of abrasives
What is abrasive machining
Classification of abrasive machining
Wheel Grade and Structure
The grinding process
 What is Abrasive
A small, nonmetallic hard particle
having sharp edges and an irregular
shape
Used to hone, lap, buff and polish
workpieces
Used in finishing processes for very
hard and heat-treated parts – such as
shaping hard nonmetallic materials
like ceramics; cutting off length of
bars; cleaning surfaces with jets of
water or air containing abrasive
 Types of Abrasives
a. Aluminum oxide (Al2O3)
Conventional
b. Silicon Carbide (SiC) Abrasives

c. Cubic boron Nitride (cBN)

Superabrasives
d. Diamond
 Types of
Abrasives

Aluminum Oxide
Firstmade in 1893
Bauxite Iron Fillings Coke
Divided into two groups
a. Fused aluminum oxide –
categorized as dark, white and
monocrystalline
b. Unfused alumina – a.k.a. ceramic
aluminum oxides which is harder than
fused; purest form: seeded gel (0.2µm,
high friability & hardness)
 Types of
Abrasives

Silicon Carbide
Discovered in 1891
Silica sand Petroleum Coke Salt
(NaCl)
Divided into: black (less friable) and
green (more friable)
Higher friability than aluminum oxides
Greater tendency to fracture and
remain sharp
High temperature
 Types of
Abrasives

Cubic Boron Nitride

Synthetically
developed in the 1970s
Second-hardest substance after
diamond
Used as abrasives and cutting tools
 Types of
Abrasives

Diamond
Hardest substance known
First used as abrasive in 1955
Other uses: cutting tools and as dies
for fine wire drawing
Both natural and synthetic or
industrial diamond can be used
Most common grit size: 0.01 mm
(0.004 in) diameter *grit number – size of an
abrasive grain
What is Abrasive Machining
BEST METHOD FOR PRODUCING a
workpiece that require high
dimensional accuracy and fine
surface finish
 Abrasive Machining
Classification of Abrasive
Machining

Bonded
- Grinding
- Surfacing
Loose

Impact
 Classification of Abrasive
Machining

Bonded Abrasives
Bonds a large number of abrasive
grains that act together for high rates
of material removal
In the form of grinding wheels
Porosity is essential to provide
clearance for the chips being
produced and to provide cooling or
else it would interfere with the
grinding process
Marked with standardized system of
letters and numbers
How Grinding Wheels are
Made
Figure 1.2 Schematic illustration of a physical model
of a grinding wheel, showing its structure and wear
and fracture patterns
 Bond Types
Vetrified or Ceramic
Resinoid
• Organic
• Reinforced
Rubber
Metallic Bonds
 Bond
Types

Vetrified or Ceramic
Most common and widely used bond
Raw materials: feldspar (crystalline
mineral) and clays
Mixed with abrasives, moistened, and
molded under pressure into the shape
of grinding wheels
Vetrified wheels: brittle & lack
resistance to mechanical and thermal
shock; strong stiff, porous, resistant to
oil, acid & water
 Bond
Types

Resinoid
More flexible than vitrified wheels
Two types: organic & reinforced
wheels
• Organic wheels – manufactured by mixing
abrasive with liquid or powdered
• Reinforced wheels – used
 Bond
Types

Rubber
Mostflexible bond
Manufatured
 Bond
Types

Metallic Bond
Wheel Grade and Structure
Grade – measure of bond’s strength
– includes type and amount of
bond in the wheel
Structure – measure of porosity
(spacing
between grains)
– ranges from dense to open