5. Significance and Use (1-7)
5.1 The severity of abrasive wear in any system will depend upon the abrasive particle size, shape, and hardness, the magnitude of the stress imposed by the particle, and the frequency of contact of the abrasive particle. In this practice these conditions are standardized to develop a uniform condi- tion of wear which has been referred to as scratching abrasion (1 and 2). The value of the practice lies in predicting the relative ranking of various materials of construction in an abrasive environment. Since the practice does not attempt to duplicate all of the process conditions (abrasive size, shape, pressure, impact, or corrosive elements), it should not be used to predict the exact resistance of a given material in a specific environment. Its value lies in predicting the ranking of mate- rials in a similar relative order of merit as would occur in an abrasive environment. Volume loss data obtained from test materials whose lives are unknown in a specific abrasive environment may, however, be compared with test data ob- tained from a material whose life is known in the same environment. The comparison will provide a general indication of the worth of the unknown materials if abrasion is the predominant factor causing deterioration of the materials.