Technical Resources

Black and Green Silicon Carbide differ primarily in purity levels and subsequent performance characteristics:

• Black SiC (C-SiC): Contains approximately 98.5-99.5% SiC, offers excellent toughness and is cost-effective for general grinding applications. It's ideal for processing materials with lower tensile strength like cast iron, non-ferrous metals, and stone.
• Green SiC (GC-SiC): Features higher purity (≥99.5% SiC) and superior hardness, making it the preferred choice for precision grinding of tungsten carbide, technical ceramics, and other hard materials. Its sharper cutting edges and enhanced friability allow for cooler grinding and finer surface finishes.

The selection between these variants should be based on workpiece material properties, required surface finish quality, and overall process economics.

To maintain optimal abrasive quality and performance characteristics, adhere to these storage guidelines:

• Temperature: Store between 10-25°C (50-77°F) with minimal fluctuations. Extreme temperature variations can cause thermal stress in certain abrasives.
• Humidity: Maintain relative humidity below 60% to prevent moisture absorption, which can lead to clumping, reduced shelf life, or altered performance in moisture-sensitive abrasives.
• Packaging: Keep abrasives in their original sealed containers until use. Once opened, reseal tightly or transfer to airtight containers.
• Segregation: Store different abrasive types and grain sizes separately to prevent cross-contamination.
• Rotation: Implement a first-in, first-out (FIFO) inventory system to ensure oldest stock is used first.

Proper storage extends shelf life, maintains consistent performance, and prevents quality degradation, particularly for fine-grained and specialty abrasive products.

Selecting the appropriate abrasive grit size involves balancing material removal rate against surface finish requirements:

• Coarse grits (16-60): Ideal for aggressive material removal, heavy stock reduction, and initial shaping operations. These produce rougher surface finishes but offer maximum efficiency for bulk material removal.
• Medium grits (80-180): Suitable for general-purpose grinding, intermediate finishing stages, and applications requiring moderate material removal with improved surface quality.
• Fine grits (220-600): Used for precision grinding, fine finishing, and applications where surface finish quality begins to take precedence over removal rates.
• Micro-grits (800-2500+): Employed for ultra-precision finishing, lapping, polishing, and applications demanding excellent surface finishes with minimal material removal.

Consider these additional factors when selecting grit size:

• Workpiece material hardness and friability
• Required surface roughness (Ra) value
• Subsequent processing steps (if any)
• Equipment specifications and limitations
• Cycle time constraints

Our technical team can provide application-specific recommendations based on your exact process requirements and material specifications.

Macro and micro fracturing represent different failure mechanisms in abrasive grains during operation:

• Macro fracturing: Occurs when an abrasive grain breaks along major fracture planes, resulting in the formation of large fragments and new cutting edges. This mechanism is characteristic of more friable abrasives like conventional aluminum oxide and is beneficial for applications requiring continuous self-sharpening and high material removal rates.
• Micro fracturing: Involves the controlled breakdown of abrasive grain surfaces at a microscopic level, creating numerous small, sharp cutting points without significantly changing the overall grain shape. This mechanism is typical of silicon carbide and certain engineered abrasives, providing an ideal balance between edge retention and continuous sharpness.

The fracturing behavior significantly impacts abrasive performance parameters including:

• Cutting efficiency and rate
• Heat generation during processing
• Surface finish quality
• Abrasive consumption rate
• Overall process economics

Selection of the appropriate fracturing mechanism depends on workpiece material, desired surface finish, and process requirements.