Introduction to abrasives

The chemical composition of natural corundum is alumina, which is mainly produced in South Africa, which is used to polish and grind glass. Emery is also a natural form of alumina. Generally speaking, it is not as pure as corundum. Its main producing areas are Greece and Turkey. It is mostly used for making abrasive cloth or sandpaper. Garnet abrasives are used in sandblasting, waterjet cutting, coated abrasives, filter materials, wear-resistant floor aggregates, etc., and are used in hardware, steel, castings, ceramics, aluminum, wood, and leather industries. Vermiculite is commonly used to make sandpaper. Quartz is the earliest grinding wheel material and is still used to make tools and machined glass. Pumice is derived from volcanoes and is the raw material for making polishing powder. The diatomaceous earth is an ingredient for polishing powder and oil stone. Other natural abrasives include talc, vermiculite, feldspar, obsidian and chalk.