Abrasive powder - a material that is very popular in industry and is used to clean metals from rust. There are several varieties of it, differing in properties and cost. Abrasive powder for surface treatment can also be used in various ways.
Material benefits
At the moment, the industry produces only two main types of abrasive powder: kuperslag and nickel slag. They began to be used in production not so long ago. Previously, ordinary quartz sand was used instead. When the surface was cleaned last, very fine dust spread in the air, polluting everything around. At the same time, it was necessary to carry out a rather laborious and costly operation to wash the processed products. In addition, small particles of quartz flying in the air fell into the lungs of the workers. As a result, they developed a chronic occupational disease - silicosis. Unfortunately, in our country, cheap quartz sand for surface cleaning is still used. In Europe, it is strictly forbidden to use it for this purpose.
Varieties
Most often, kuperslag is used in production. This is an inexpensive material that allows for quality cleaning. Nickelslag differs from it in the greater particle strength. Also in industry, a kind of abrasive such as diamond powder is sometimes used . However, it is quite expensive, and therefore it is used mainly only for the manufacture of grinding tools, pastes and suspensions.
How is it made
The production of abrasive powder is a technologically advanced process. Cooperslag from granulated smelting slag. They are turned into a fine-grained state by very rapid cooling with water. The resulting powder for cleaning from various kinds of undesirable impurities is placed on a special inclined grating with small cells. As a result, small particles of cooper slag wake up. Large ones (limestone, refractory materials, garbage) remain at the top.
Nikelshlak is made using the same technology. The only difference is that in this case, nickel slags are used as feedstock.
Characteristics
The main properties that determine the quality of a material such as abrasive powder are:
The degree of hygroscopicity. The smaller it is, the better the product. Dry powders can be used in the production process immediately, without spending time and money on drying.
Flowability. This indicator for abrasive powders should be as high as possible. Very bulk materials easily pass through the nozzle of tools designed to clean surfaces without clogging them. As a result, the equipment does not fail longer.
The ratio of fractions. Quality is considered only that material, which includes particles of different sizes (from 0.5 to 3 mm).
According to the degree of danger to the human body, abrasive powder is assigned to the fourth group. This means that working with it can be harmless to your health without fear. For comparison: materials such as scrap metal and powder remaining during grinding of metal parts are assigned to the same fourth hazard class .
Scope of application
Thus, most often abrasive powder is used to clean the surfaces of metal products from rust. In addition, it is used to remove paint and plaster residues from concrete and brick. Abrasive powders can also be used to remove damaged or thawed areas during repair work.
Surface treatment with this material can be carried out both in the usual abrasive-blasting method and in hydro- or flame-abrasive methods.
Comparison of Cooper Slag and Quartz Sand
Of course, modern abrasive powder costs more than quartz sand. However, its operational characteristics are much better. For clarity, we present to your attention a comparison table of these two materials.
Characteristics | Quartz sand | Kupershlak |
Maximum surface finish of the workpiece | Sa 2 | Sa 3 |
Sanitary restrictions | May cause silicosis | No limits |
Performance | 6 | 17 |
Abrasive powder: consumption
The particles included in the composition of kuperslag and nickelslag have very sharp edges. Therefore, surface treatment with them can be made very high quality. In this case, unlike quartz sand, abrasive powders practically do not form dust. And therefore, the processed products do not need to be washed, spending additional funds on this.
Dust during cleaning with quartz sand is formed because its particles are strongly crushed. With abrasive powders this practically does not happen. Therefore, they can be used for cleaning twice, and sometimes three times. Of course, this significantly reduces their consumption. Therefore, it is beneficial to use kuperslag and nickel slag, despite the fact that they cost much more than sand. The consumption of abrasive powder per 1 m2 is only about 30 kg. For comparison: about 100 kg have to be spent on the same area.
Abrasive powder: GOST
According to the degree of impact on the human body, kuperslag and nickelslag, as already mentioned, belong to the fourth group (according to GOST 12.1.007). In the manufacture of abrasive powders, the standards of GOST 17.2.3.01-86 regarding the maximum permissible emissions must be observed . Gosstandart regulates the type of personal protection of personnel when working with kuperslag and nickel slag (GOST 12.4.034). The maximum permissible content of natural radionuclides in abrasive powders is regulated by GOST 30108. Actually this material is usually produced according to TU 1789-001-34557754-99.
Home use
Some masters are interested in where you can use abrasive powder. Kupershlak and nickelslag at home can hardly be useful. They are immediately used in significant quantities for cleaning large surface areas. At home, only diamond powders are used mainly. They are well suited for the manufacture of pastes intended for polishing various kinds of metal products of complex shape.
Also, diamond powders are often used for the independent manufacture of finishing tools. In this case, a special abrasive stone is usually used as a base. After degreasing, a working layer of the following composition is applied to it (% by weight):
Cost
The price of nickel slag and kuperslag is about the same. These powders cost about 3000-3500 rubles per ton. The price of quartz sand ranges from 800-900 rubles per ton. Diamond powder, of course, is very expensive. They sell it not in tons, or even in kilograms, but in grams. Its cost is 35-70 rubles per gram.
As you can see, abrasive powder is a very useful and demanded material. Its different types can be used both in industry and at home. It does not cause harm to health, while its operational characteristics are simply remarkable.