Cutting and grinding wheels for angle grinders with a bioresin matrix

• Grinding and cutting wheels for angle grinders were developed in this work.
• New grinding discs composed of an organic tannins-furanic resin binder and inorganic abrasive particles incorporated inside.
• Mechanical properties of biosourced tannins-furanic resin bonded discs were characterised.
• Petrochemicals can be substituted by biobased materials even for a severe application: abrasive grinding discs.

By using biosourced raw materials such as condensed tannins and furfuryl alcohol a biosourced thermoset resin was developed and used and tested for a new application: as a resin matrix of solid grinding wheels for angle grinders. The manufacturing procedure developed is particularly easy. Cutting and grinding discs based on this green resin were used for bonding different sizes of abrasive particles of aluminium trioxide. These discs were characterized and showed excellent abrasiveness and cutting properties. Their mechanical resistance was found to be comparable to that of commercial grinding discs bonded with synthetic phenolic resins. They tolerated well the severe stresses induced on them at 11,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) by operation in an angle grinder when grinding or cutting steel.