Abrasives are what?

In the operations of grinding, polishing and stripping of various surfaces, special materials are commonly used, which are called abrasives. It can be devices of different design and shape, but they are combined with a rough coating or a completely granular structure. For example, sandpaper and files are classic abrasives. It can also be mechanical devices that realize the function of surface treatment in automatic mode without muscular effort.

Abrasive materials

In nature, you can find many natural abrasives that are distinguished by a granular or porous structure. These include minerals, among them garnet, quartz, some types of iron ore, pumice, etc. Some of the named rocks are used whole in production, and others are used in a processed form. For example, the powders that are stable in wear and friction are the same abrasives. This is in most cases crushed rocks or metal particles, which can be used in various ways in the finalization of products. But here it is worth moving on to another group of abrasive materials - synthetic. It includes artificial diamond, mineral slag, steel shot, etc. With the help of such materials it is possible to perform the most complex tasks of polishing and stripping.

Abrasive tools

Unlike abrasive materials, tools are a device ready for grinding operations. The most common product of this type are nozzles for grinding and cutting machines. To such include saws, Bulgarians, all kinds of carvers and polishing machines, as the working head of which an abrasive is used. Circles, perhaps, are the most efficient processing component. And their effectiveness is determined by the most advantageous arrangement in the structure of the power tool.

Also popular in the production of grinding belts used on machines. With their help, flow processing of standard products is realized - often directly on the conveyor. Now you should consider household abrasives. This can be the same file with grinding paper, or an abrasive stone in the form of a bar, with which sharpening blades of the cutting tool are sharpened.

Properties of abrasives

High-quality abrasive is characterized by such indicators as wear resistance, hardness, absence of interactions with chemicals, etc. At the same time hardness and wear resistance do not always indicate that the abrasive is able to quickly eliminate unnecessary layers from the surface. The tool can be durable and resistant to damage, which is caused by high density and fine granular grain content in the structure. But too hard grinding abrasives, as a rule, longer process target blanks. And, on the contrary, a large grain facilitates the accelerated implementation of the same grinding, but it has two drawbacks. Firstly, a large fraction means quick wear. Secondly, with the help of such an abrasive can only rely on rough processing, eliminating polishing effect.

Types of abrasive processing

The simplest techniques for abrasive processing involve the use of non-mechanized manual materials. Basically, this is a bar of rocks that are used in the refinement of pliable surfaces - for example, wood. More technological methods involve working with manual electrical devices. These are small grinding and polishing machines, which allow the use of various nozzles with characteristics. In professional spheres, an abrasive for sandblasting is also used, which is fed through a special nozzle. The sandblasting equipment works by supplying air under high pressure. In the course of the operations, the jet, injected by the compressor, literally blows out abrasive particles at high speed, acting on the target surface. Bearing streams can also be formed and at the expense of water, but for its storage additional capacities will be required.

Areas of application of abrasives

All abrasives are calculated to perform, by and large, the same tasks. They consist in removing a certain layer of material from a particular surface. Another thing is that the very elimination of unnecessary coverage can pursue different goals - shaping the product, eliminating unevenness, cleaning, etc. These operations can be used in everyday life, and in workshops of various kinds, as well as in construction and production. So, in domestic economy it is often required regular grinding of wooden floor coverings. For parquet and some types of laminate polishing abrasive is used. The material in the form of sand and metal particles is used as an abrasive for sandblasting. This highly effective method has found application in the work of auto repair shops. For example, pneumatic devices are used for cleaning old paint and varnish coatings. Powerful aggregates, working from compressors, can be used to remove stale traces of corrosive damage and even scale.

Conclusion

Today, there are practically no alternative methods for abrasive grinding and surface cleaning. It is possible to mention except that high-precision cutting methods, but their function can be replaced by rough processing with the same sandblast. From the point of view of production processes in many large enterprises, abrasives are an indispensable technological stage, which makes it possible to give the products the necessary parameters. And if in the construction of a master can deal with laborious, but rough in nature methods of stripping and grinding, then the industry realizes the operations of precise molding. And they are performed with solid-state stone and metal structures, which requires the use of special abrasive machines and machines.