Abrasion of mild steel in wet and dry conditions with the rubber and steel wheel abrasion apparatus

Abrasion behaviour with a rotating wheel-type apparatus has been examined with angular alumina and rounded silica abrasives as a function of test conditions, namely wheel-type (rubber wheel or steel wheel) and environment (dry or wet conditions). Water tends to lubricate the contact between the particles and the testpiece, especially with small and/or rounded particles and thus the wear rate is reduced. With larger particles, the presence of water still affects wear, in that two-body abrasion may be favoured, cutting enhanced and particle embedment reduced. The steel wheel tends to produce more fragmentation of abrasives, but in the wet environment, this is reduced as the lubricated contact with the testpiece results in lower stresses in the particles.