Abrasive

An abrasive is a material, often a <a href="/facts/Mineral/LkUFbNmv">mineral</a>, that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads to part of the workpiece being worn away by <a href="/facts/Friction/d0108Rpu">friction</a>. While finishing a material often means <a href="/facts/Polishing/SqMg0yh9">polishing</a> it to gain a smooth, reflective surface, the process can also involve roughening as in satin, matte or <a href="/facts/Bead_(woodworking)/AAgzezQ5">beaded</a> finishes. In short, the ceramics which are used to cut, grind and polish other softer materials are known as abrasives.
Abrasives are extremely commonplace and are used very extensively in a wide variety of industrial, domestic, and technological applications. This gives rise to a large variation in the physical and chemical composition of abrasives as well as the shape of the abrasive. Some common uses for abrasives include <a href="/facts/Grinding_(abrasive_cutting)/r60I0Y5Y">grinding</a>, polishing, <a href="/facts/Buffing/0aj8YBr4">buffing</a>, <a href="/facts/Honing_(metalworking)/qEbVkYAD">honing</a>, <a href="/facts/Cutting/kuSSgehx">cutting</a>, <a href="/facts/Drilling/gdr632GJ">drilling</a>, <a href="/facts/Sharpening/DqsCMaKb">sharpening</a>, <a href="/facts/Lapping/CXVRF336">lapping</a>, and <a href="/facts/Sanding/tWd80gSw">sanding</a> (see <a href="/facts/Abrasive_machining/vKl6GGn2">abrasive machining</a>). (For simplicity, "mineral" in this article will be used loosely to refer to both minerals and mineral-like substances whether man-made or not.)
<a href="/facts/File_(tool)/jgKJ9cot">Files</a> are not abrasives; they remove material not by scratching or rubbing, but by the cutting action of sharp teeth which have been cut into the surface of the file, very much like those of a <a href="/facts/Saw/mh8PG7xy">saw</a>. However, diamond files are a form of coated abrasive (as they are metal rods coated with diamond powder).

Abrasive open-in-new

Abrasive