Grit blasting abrasives used

Steel Shot and Grit. Steel shot and grit are also widely used ia grit blasting and abrasive finishing. In 1989, 220, 196 metric tons of metallic abrasives were produced in the United States with a combined value of 89.55 million (20). 

Hardness. Glass hardness tests usually measure the resistance to abrasion by grinding or grit-blasting, resistance to scratching, or penetration by an indenter. The method to be used depends on expected service conditions. Knoop hardness (Table 4) is commonly used, because other methods usually fracture the glass. 

Shot or grit blasting Blasting is used to remove rust and to increase the surface area and hence increase apparent adhesion. A variety of abrasives is available, including chilled iron grit and aluminium oxide. The selected abrasive is fired under pressure at the metalwork to create the desired result. 

If a chemical surface treatment in required, the process must be monitored for proper sequence, bath temperature, solution concentration, and contaminants. If sand- or grit-blasting is employed, the abrasive must be changed regularly. Fresh solvents for cleaning should he on hand. Checks should be made to determine if cloths or solvent containers have become contaminated. The specific surface preparation used can be checked for effectiveness by the water-break-free test. After the final treatment step, the substrate surface is checked for its ability to form a continuous film of water when deionized water droplets are applied to the surface. After the surface treatment has been found to be adequate, precautions must be taken to assure that the substrates are kept clean and dry until the bonding operation. The adhesive or primer should be appUed to the treated surface as quickly as possible. 

Abrasive blasting and sandblasting are prohibited because they generate highly contaminated lead dust. This applies to all methods that use small particles under pressure to remove paint, including GRIT BLASTING, BEAD PACK, and BLACK BEAUTY. 

Abrasive grit blast methods for removal of corrosion products have increased in pxjpularity in recent years. Some test sp>ecifications specifically list this as the preferred cleaning method [5]. Fine abrasive grit (the author has used 120 grit glass bead) is used in an air-p>owered blast cabinet. The surface of the coupen is blasted until removal of all visible corrosion products is observed. Mass loss and corrosion rates are then determined by standard methods. 

All oil, grease and other soluble contamination should be removed by solvent degreasing or alkaline cleaning. Rust, scale and other non-soluble contaminants should be removed by mechanical or chemical methods. Grit blasting is the most commonly used mechanical method, but wheel abrasion, grinding, wire brushing, emery cloth or steel wool can be used. Chemosil 211 primer should be applied as soon as possible after the surface preparation to reduce the risk of contamination or oxidation of the substrate. 

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