7. Embedded abrasives

7.1 Constitution

The term "embedded abrasive" refers to a volume of non-woven textile fibers in which abrasive grains are distributed and fixed.

Like coated abrasives, bonded abrasives are made up of a backing, abrasive grains and a binder. It is the notion of volume as opposed to surface area that differentiates them and makes bonded abrasives an intermediate product between bonded and coated abrasives.

• Backing: backing is made of nylon fibers laid in sheets and held together by a latex-based binder. The fibers are 20 to 30 mm long, and come in two sizes: 15 denier or 60 denier (1 denier represents the mass in grams of 9,000 m of fiber). Webs are produced in thicknesses ranging from 5 to 30 mm.