Abrasive is the main material in the process of cutting and smoothing metal surfaces. In actual production, the commonly used abrasives include artificial emery, corundum, emery, diatomaceous earth, quartz sand and pumice.
Artificial emery-with high hardness and low toughness (compared to other abrasives) is mainly used for rough grinding and polishing of low-strength metals (such as pig iron, brass, bronze, etc.).
Corundum-there are two kinds of artificial and natural. The more bauxite Al2O3 content in corundum, the higher its hardness. Corundum is a better material for rough grinding with a grinding wheel. It has greater toughness than artificial emery. The particles of corundum are multi-faceted, and the sharp edges of the particles are blunt than those of artificial emery. It is suitable for polishing tougher metals with greater breaking strength, such as hardened steel, malleable cast iron, manganese bronze, etc.
Emery-has medium hardness and excellent toughness, suitable for the polishing of all metals.
Diatomaceous earth-has a not-so-sharp cutting surface and excellent toughness, which can smooth out scratches and scratches on the metal surface. It is a universal polishing and polishing material.
Quartz sand-particles with medium hardness, it has no sharp cutting surface, and its toughness is also very good. It is a general purpose polishing and polishing material.
Pumice-it has poor hardness and is relatively crisp, suitable for grinding and polishing wood, leather, rubber, plastic and glass.
According to the properties of the various abrasives mentioned above, to sum up, when grinding hard metal products, it is advisable to use artificial emery, corundum or emery, and then fine-grained emery, pumice, quartz powder, etc. When polishing softer metal products, diatomaceous earth and pumice are generally used.
