Knowledge Sharing An abrasive is a material, often a mineral, that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads

to part of the workpiece being worn away. While finishing a material often means polishing it to gain a smooth, reflective surface it can also involve roughening as in satin, matte or beaded finishes. Abrasives are extremely commonplace and are used very extensively in a wide variety of industrial, domestic, and technological applications. This gives rise to a large variation in the physical and chemical composition of abrasives as well as the shape of the abrasive. ommon uses for abrasives include grinding, polishing, buffing, honing, cutting, drilling, sharpening, lapping, and sanding !see abrasive machining". !#or simplicity, $mineral$ in this article will be used loosely to refer to both minerals and mineral%like substances whether man%made or not." #iles are not abrasives. They remove material not by scratching or rubbing, but by the cutting action of sharp teeth which have been cut into the surface of the file, very much like those of a saw. &owever, diamond files are a form of coated abrasive !as they are metal rods coated with diamond powder".