Abrasive Wheel
An abrasive wheel is a round, rotating tool used to cut, grind, sand, or polish materials, especially metals. Instead of teeth like a saw blade, it removes material using abrasive grains such as aluminum oxide, zirconia alumina, silicon carbide, or diamond that are bonded together into a solid wheel. As the wheel spins at high speed on a grinder or cut off saw, the abrasive surface removes small amounts of material to shape, smooth, or separate the workpiece.
Abrasive wheels come in different types for different tasks, including cut off wheels for slicing metal, grinding wheels for heavy stock removal, flap discs for blending and finishing, and depressed center wheels commonly used on angle grinders. For safe use and good results, match the wheel to the material and the tool, and confirm the wheel’s maximum RPM rating is equal to or higher than the tool’s operating speed.
