How Bonded Abrasives Perform on Tough Materials like Stainless Steel

Bonded abrasives, including grinding wheels and cutting wheels, are invaluable tools for shaping, finishing, and removing material from stainless steel. A bonding agent holds the abrasive grains together to form these tools. Bonded abrasive performance on stainless steel is based on several factors, like the type of abrasive grains, bond strength, and certain applications.

In this blog, we’ll go through all the factors that affect the performance of bonded abrasives on tough materials like stainless steel.

Key Factors Affecting The Performance Of Bonded Abrasives

Here are the factors affecting the performance of bonded abrasives on tough materials like stainless steel.

1. Abrasive Grain Selection

selection of abrasive grain plays a critical role in the grinding of tough materials. The grain’s hardness and sharpness directly influence its ability to cut. Some of the popularly used abrasive grains are Aluminium oxide, zirconia alumina, ceramic, and superabrasives like CBN and Diamond.

• Aluminum Oxide: they are ideal for general purposes and finishing projects. It offers a balance between a cut-rate and durability, which makes it a versatile option.
• Zirconia Alumina: It operates more quickly than aluminum oxide and is appropriate for removing large amounts of stock. Although it generates more heat.
• Ceramic: it is suitable for projects that require a detailed finish. It has self-sharpening properties which makes them durable.

2. Bond Strength

The performance of bonded abrasives is strongly affected by bond strength. It defines the degree of adhesion between the abrasive grains, which influences factors like cutting action, heat generation, and wheel durability. Resinoid, rubber, and vitrified are some of the common bond types.

• Resinoid bonds: these bonds are known for their impact resistance, making them suitable for workpieces requiring forceful cutting actions. They also offer a good cutting action and it's highly flexible for various grinding tasks, including cutting, shaping, and finishing projects.
• Rubber bonds: Rubber bonds are used to hold the abrasive grains together by using either synthetic or natural rubbers which results in strong and flexible wheels that will adjust to uneven surfaces and absorb impacts. Rubber bonds are mostly suitable for applications demanding flexibility and shock absorption, like snagging, cutting, and some polishing tasks. They minimize the chance of wheel breakage due to impact by providing good cutting action.
• Vitrified bonds: Vitrified bonds hold the abrasive grains together by using ceramic-based material, mostly a mixture of glass and clay. This produces a strong and solid bond with heat resistance and dimensional stability. This results in a robust, strong binding that is dimensionally stable and resistant to heat.

3. Products Without Contamination

Its essential to have products free from contamination when working with stainless steel. Traditional abrasives may have contaminants like iron, chlorine, and sulfur. These contaminants or impurities can settle on the surface of stainless steel during the grinding or cutting process, which may cause localized corrosion and affect the material's quality. To avoid this, you can only use abrasives that are specifically made of stainless steel, which are generally called INOX. Their purpose is to minimize the risk of dangerous contaminants, which ensures long-lasting durability and visual appearance of stainless steel.

Safety tips:

• To prevent wheel breakage, apply gentle pressure while using abrasive wheels.
• Always wear safety gear like a face mask, shield, hand gloves, etc, during the cutting process.
• Ensure to use the right feed rate and speed for the application and abrasive.

Choosing the right bonded abrasives will help you achieve optimal results when working with stainless steel.