Abrasive Disc Performance in Dry-Cutting of Medium-Carbon Steel

Abrasive-cutting processes are widely used to obtain semi-finished products from metal bars, slabs, or tubes. Thus, the abrasive cutting-off process is applied when requiring precision cutting and productivity at a moderate price. Cut-off tools are discs composed of small abrasive particles embedded in a bonding material, called the binder. This work aims to compare the cutting performance of discs with different composition, in dry cutting of steel bars. To do that, disc wear was measured and disc final topography was digitalized in order to determine both disc surface wear patterns and if the abrasive particles bonding into the binder matrix was affected. In addition, X-Ray inspection gave information about the abrasive grit-binder bonding. Therefore, the method here presented allows identifying discs with a superior abrasive-cutting capability, by combining profilometry and tomography to define micrometrical aspects, grit size, and binder matrix structure. Results led to the conclusion that discs with high grit size and protrusion, high grit retention by bond material, and closer mesh of fiberglass matrix binder were the optimal solution.