The service life of the abrasive belt depends on the cutting performance of the abrasive cutting edge, which is mainly affected by the wear area of the abrasive belt.
To extend the life of abrasive belts, the following measures can be taken:
1) Reduce initial belt wear. Initial belt wear is caused by abrasive grain shedding or breakage. To reduce initial wear, new belts are pre-ground for a period of time with reduced contact pressure before normal operation. This method is also called dressing, but it is different from dressing a grinding wheel.
2) Use grinding aids or grinding fluids to reduce the wear rate during the steady wear phase.
The main purpose of using grinding aids or grinding fluids is to reduce the friction between the abrasive grains and the workpiece, the root cause of wear, and reduce grinding heat, thereby reducing the wear rate.
3) Increase the belt circumference to reduce the belt action rate. Reducing the belt action rate can extend the belt life. If machine tool conditions permit, appropriately increase the belt circumference to provide better belt cooling and increase the total number of abrasive grains involved in grinding.
4) Appropriately increase the belt speed. Appropriately increasing the belt speed not only reduces surface roughness but also reduces abrasive grain breakage and wear, thereby extending the belt life.
5) Gradually increase the grinding pressure. Once the belt enters the normal cutting phase, gradually increasing the grinding pressure can intensify the grinding process, increase the abrasive grain-to-edge ratio, and break the grains, creating new cutting edges that restore cutting ability. This self-sharpening effect extends the belt's life.
6) Improve the belt's inherent cutting performance. Tough abrasive grains are more resistant to breakage, thus extending its life. Classic sanding belts offer better cutting performance than gravity sanding. Reducing the binder thickness and density during sanding can increase the belt's chip space, enhance the bond strength, and ensure a more reliable bond. These measures can improve the belt's grinding performance and extend its life to a certain extent.
The above measures are mainly aimed at reducing the main form of belt wear (abrasion and crushing). For the two forms of belt sticking and detachment, they can be solved by controlling and selecting the belt structural parameters such as the hardness of the belt and the density of the sand planting. At the same time, the belt surface can be coated with a special coating, that is, the super coating mentioned above, to solve the problem of belt sticking and wear or use grinding.
