Laboratory Manual

For

Tile Abrasion Test

Machine

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 Abrasive powder

Abrasive Bed

Weight

Weight

Control Panel

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EQUIPMENTS: This comprises the followings: -

1. Tile Abrasion Testing Machine wired for 230 volts, 50

Hz., complete with automatic revolution counter.

2. 7.5 kg weight to impose a weight of 30 kg on the

specimen.

INTRODUCTION:

Natural building stones used in stops, floorings, pavements

etc. are subject to heavy wear and tear as well as friction.
Their durability under such circumstances can duly be
ensured only by stones which have the necessary hardness
and resistance to abrasion. Similarly flooring tiles are
chosen for their elegant appearance and also the case with
which they can be laid. A tiled floor apart from looking
pleasant easily adopts itself to slight settlement of the
foundation backfill. If at all there is a crack due to this, it
will be imperceptible and localized in joints only. Added to
this they have good strength, durability, resistance to wear

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and can easily be replaced. The Tile Abrasion Testing
Machine is for testing the resistance to wear and abrasion
of natural building stones, and cement concrete flooring
tiles. The instrument is as per ISL 1706 and IS 1237.

DESCRIPTION: The equipment consists of a cast iron

grinding path whose scaleroscope hardness between 30 &
40. The grinding path is 200mm dia wide annular space
on the grinding disc between distances 120 & 320 mm
from the center. The disc rotates on a vertical axis and is
enclosed in a circular tray. The disc is driven by a motor
through reduction gear at 30 + 1 RPM. There is an
automatic counter mechanism which stops the disc after
every 22 revolutions.

The holding device is a sq. cast iron from, 40mm, high with
its lower edge about 5mm above the surface of the grinding
disc. It is so positioned that its center is at 220mm from
the center of disc. It is a holding device, necessary but
holds the specimen loosely.

There is a loading device which consists of a steel lever

with a short and long arm and friction free fulcrum. The
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short arm has a circular counter weight, to balance the
weight of the long arm and weighing disc, so that the
pressure stamp just touches the specimen prior to loading.

The connection of the pressure stamp to the lever is

through self-aligning joints ensuring control and true
transfer to load. A loading weight of 7.5 kg weight is
supplied which will apply a net load of 30 kg on the
specimen through lever.

SPECIMEN PREPARATION:

In the case natural stones, test specimens shall be

obtained by some cutting and finishing with grinding
wheel. The use of Chisel and hammer has to be avoided. In
the cads of concrete flooring tiles, it shall preferably be cut
from the central part of a tile. In both the case they shall
have a test surface of 7.06 x 7.06 (50 cm2 face) and the
deviation in dimension shall be within + 2%. At least six
specimens shall be used for a test.

TEST PROCEDURE: A suitable instrument capable of

measuring to an accuracy of 0.1 mm shall be used to find

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out the change in thickness of the specimen after
abrasion. The specimens shall be dried in an oven
maintained at 105 to 110OC for 24 hours and then weighed
to the nearest 0.1gm. The specimen after initial drying and
weighing shall be kept in the thickness measuring gadget,
with its wearing surf ace facing up.

The grinding path of the disc of the Abrasion Test Machine

shall be evenly strew on with 20 GMS of the specified
abrasive powder. The specimen shall then be fitted in the
holding device with its surface to be ground facing the disc.
The lever arm shall be balanced initially so that the stamp
pad just touches the specimen top surface. The 7.5 kg wt.
Shall be added to the longer on the lever arm. The grinding
disc shall be put in motion longer on the lever arm after
every 22 revolutions the disc will automatically stop. After
the first 22 revolutions, the abraded tile powder and the
remained of the abrasive powder shall be removed and a
fresh charge of abrasive power in quantities of 20 GMS
shall be applied on the disc. The process is repeated until
110 revolutions are completed. The specimen shall then

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the rotated about its vertical axis by 90O and the test
continued for another 110 revolutions so that the total
revolutions completed shall be 220.

The disc the abrasive powder, and the specimen shall be

kept dry through and the test. The specimen shall then be
taken out, wiped for fine du and then weight to the nearest
0.1gm. It shall then be measured for its thickness as
before the thickness measure gadget.

RESULT: The wear shall be obtained as the difference in

readings obtained before and after abrasion of specimen.
The value shall be checked up with the average loss in
thickness of the specimen obtained by the following
formulas: -

(W1 - W2) V1

A =

W1 x A

WHERE

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 A = Average loss in thickness in mm.

W1 = Initial weight, in g of the specimen

W2 = Final weight in GMS of the abraded

specimen.

V1 = Initial volume in cc of the specimen.

A = Surface area, sq. cm of the specimen.