DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF PARTICLE REINFORCED ABRASIVE GRINDING DISCS FROM LOCALLY SOURCED MATERIALS

Management of waste materials is a serious concern to researchers and scientists. Waste materials cause health and environmental hazards. Hence, they should be properly managed. The aim of this study is to develop a grinding disc using agricultural wastes (palm kernel shell and snail shell), granite, aluminium oxide, and polyester resin. The particles of snail shell, palm kernel shell, aluminium oxide (abrasive) and granite (friction modifier) were measured in percentages varying between 8 - 29 wt. % and were mixed with 27 wt. % polyester resin (binder), 3 wt. % methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (hardener) and 3 wt. % cobalt naphthalene (accelerator) to produce a grinding disc. The micrograph, hardness, wear rate, and water absorption tests were carried out on the grinding disc samples. The result showed that the composition with the highest palm kernel shell particle content (29 wt. %) had the best values for hardness and wear resistance, making it the most suitable material for grinding discs. The environmentally-friendly palm kernel shell-based discs could be used for soft metals, wood grinding and finishing processes.