Fused Al2O3-rare earth oxide eutectic abrasive particles, abrasive articles, and methods of making and using the same
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsAnatoly Z. Rosenflanz, Ahmet Celikkaya, Donna W. Bange
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Abstract
Fused abrasive particles comprising eutectic material. The fused abrasive particles can be incorporated into abrasive products such as coated abrasives, bonded abrasives, non-woven abrasives, and abrasive brushes.
Claims48
A plurality of abrasive particles having an abrasive industry specified nominal grade, said plurality of abrasive particle having a particle size distribution ranging from fine to coarse, wherein at least a portion of said abrasive particles is a plurality of fused, crystalline abrasive particles, said fused abrasive particles comprising at least 20 percent by volume, based on the total volume of the respective particle, eutectic material, wherein said eutectic material comprises eutectic of at least two of (a) crystalline Al2O3, (b) crystalline rare earth oxide, (c) a first crystalline, complex Al2O3•rare earth oxide, or (d) a second, different, crystalline complex Al2O3•rare earth oxide.
A method for making fused, crystalline abrasive particles comprising at least 20 percent by volume, based on the total volume of the respective particle, eutectic material, wherein said eutectic material comprises eutectic of at least two of (a) crystalline Al2O3, (b) crystalline rate earth oxide, (c) a first crystalline, complex Al2O3•rare earth oxide, or (d) a second, different, crystalline complex Al2O3•rare earth oxide, said method comprising:
- melting at least one Al2O3 source and at least one rare earth oxide source to provide a melt;
- converting the melt to said fused, crystalline abrasive particles;
- and
- grading said fused, crystalline abrasive particles to provide a plurality of abrasive particles having an abrasive industry specified nominal grade, said plurality of abrasive particles having a particle size distribution ranging from fine to coarse, wherein at least a portion of said plurality of abrasive particles is a plurality of said fused, crystalline abrasive particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.