Selecting abrasives — high tensile strength materials Which abrasive is generally recommended for grinding steels and other high tensile strength materials?

Introduction / Context:
Correct abrasive selection improves grinding performance, wheel life, and surface integrity. The choice depends strongly on the work material’s mechanical and chemical properties.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Target work materials: carbon/alloy steels with high tensile strength.
• Conventional vitrified or resin-bonded wheels are considered.
• Goal: efficient cutting without excessive wheel wear or loading.

Concept / Approach:
Aluminium oxide is tough and fracture-resistant, making it suitable for ferrous alloys with high tensile strength. Silicon carbide is sharper but more brittle; it excels on low-tensile, hard-brittle or nonferrous materials (cast iron, carbide, glass). Diamond is chemically reactive with iron at high temperatures, causing rapid wear; it is reserved for carbides, ceramics, and nonferrous composites. Natural stones like sandstone/garnet are obsolete for precision grinding.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Match abrasive toughness to ductile, high-tensile steels → choose Al2O3.Avoid SiC for steels where micro-chipping and rapid dulling occur.Exclude diamond for ferrous grinding due to graphitization/chemical wear.

Verification / Alternative check:
Wheel specification guides list Al2O3 (A) wheels for steel; SiC (C) wheels for cast iron, brass, aluminium, and carbides.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Silicon carbide is ideal for low-tensile or hard-brittle materials; sandstone/garnet are not used for modern precision grinding; diamond reacts with iron and is uneconomical for steels.

Common Pitfalls:
Choosing ‘‘harder’’ abrasives blindly; toughest is not always best—compatibility with work material and grinding heat is crucial.

Final Answer:
Aluminium oxide (Al2O3)