Abrasive articles and methods for forming same

Abstract

An abrasive article including a bonded abrasive having a body of a diameter of at least 260 mm and a volume of at least 20 cubic centimeters, the body also having a bond material including an inorganic material, abrasive particles having an abrasive particle size of at least 40 microns contained in the bond material, and a certain Homogeneity Factor.

1 . An abrasive article comprising:
 a bonded abrasive having a body comprising:
 a bond material comprising an inorganic material; 
 abrasive particles contained within the body, wherein the abrasive particles have an average particle size (D50) of at least 40 microns; and 
 a Homogeneity Factor of not greater than 85. 
   
     
     
         2 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a diameter of at least 260 mm and a volume of at least 20 cm 3 . 
     
     
         3 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a thickness of at least 2 mm. 
     
     
         4 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a thickness within a range of at least 4 mm and not greater than 500 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises an ABR Factor (Cb/Cap) within a range of at least 0.5 to not greater than 10, wherein Cb represents the vol % of the bond material for the total volume of the body and Cap represents the vol % of the abrasive particles for the total volume of the body. 
     
     
         6 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the porosity comprises an average pore size (D50) within a range of at least 10 microns and not greater than 1000 microns. 
     
     
         7 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a total porosity within a range of at least 20 vol % and not greater than 95 vol % for a total volume of the body. 
     
     
         8 . The abrasive article of  claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the total porosity is open porosity, wherein the open porosity defines interconnected channels extending through the body. 
     
     
         9 . The abrasive article of  claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the total porosity is closed porosity, wherein the closed porosity defines discrete and isolated voids contained in the bond material. 
     
     
         10 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the abrasive particles have an average particle size (D50) of at least 65 microns. 
     
     
         11 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the abrasive particles comprise a material selected from the group consisting of oxides, borides, nitrides, carbides, oxynitrides, oxycarbides, amorphous, monocrystalline, polycrystalline, superabrasive or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a content of the abrasive particles of at least 20 vol % and not greater than 65 vol % for a total volume of the body. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a content of the bond material within a range of at least 1 vol % and not greater than 15 vol % for a total volume of the body. 
     
     
         15 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the bond material comprises an inorganic material selected from the group consisting of metal, metal alloy, ceramic, vitreous, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the bond material comprises a polycrystalline phase, an amorphous phase, a monocrystalline phase, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the bond material comprises an oxide. 
     
     
         18 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the bond material comprises at least one composition selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), boron oxide (B 2 O 3 ), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), alkali oxide (M 2 O), alkaline earth oxide (MO) transition metal oxide, rare earth metal oxide, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         19 . A method of making an abrasive article comprising:
 forming a mixture comprising abrasive particles, a bond precursor material and a gelling agent;   forming a bonded abrasive body from the mixture, wherein the bonded abrasive body comprises a bond material comprising an inorganic material and further comprising a Homogeneity Factor of not greater than 85.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein forming a mixture further includes adding a cationic agent to the mixture and forming a gel, wherein the cationic agent includes a compound including sulfates, chlorides, chromates, nitrates, carbonates e.g., bicarbonates), hydrates or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The abrasive article of  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a content of the bond material of at least 1 vol % and not greater than 65 vol % for a total volume of the body.