Effect of sintering temperature on mechanical and wear behaviour of a ceramic composite

A new vitrified bonded abrasive composite for grinding wheels and a reference material used in the industrial production of grinding wheels were compared in terms of mechanical properties and wear behaviour. The new formulation abrasive samples were processed using different sintering temperatures. With the new composite, it was possible to, simultaneously, obtain similar mechanical properties and increase the open porosity, at a lower sintering temperature. The results demonstrated that the grinding performance of vitrified bonded abrasives can be optimized varying the heat treatment maximum temperature. The best combination of results was achieved with a sintering temperature of 1000 degrees C.