INFLUENCE OF GRIT SIZE ON GROOVE FORMATION DURING SLIDING ABRASION

The number and size of grooves formed on copper samples by sliding for a short distance in contact with silicon carbide abrasive papers was measured for various values of the applied load and for a wide range of abrasive grit sizes. It is found that the nature of the interaction between the abrasive grain and the metal surface is virtually independent of the grit size. A large range of groove widths is found in all cases. Approximately fifty percent of the grains contacting the surface remove material in the form of a fine chip. An increase of the applied load leads mainly to an increase of the number of grooves formed while the average groove width varies only slightly. On the basis of the results a tentative explanation for the influence of abrasive grain size on the wear rate in sliding abrasion is advanced. The explanation is based on the part that particles in only elastic contact with the metal play in supporting the applied load without contributing to material removal. © 1968.