Safety in the use of

Abrasive Wheels
Based on SECL HSE Procedure: SEM-1844 Abrasive Wheels

SECL HSE Overseas Support Team

 Contents

• What is an abrasive wheel?

• Hazard involving abrasive wheels.
• Training of persons to mount abrasive wheels.
• Selection of abrasive wheels.
• Wheel speed.
• Guarding requirements.
• Tool rests on bench/pedestal mounted grinders.
• Starting abrasive wheels.
• Protection of eyes.
• Storage of abrasive wheels.
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
What is an Abrasive Wheels?

z
zA A wheel
wheel cylinder,
cylinder, disc
disc or
or cone,
cone, which,
which, whether
whether or
or not
not any
any other
other material
material is
is
comprised
comprised therein, consists of abrasive particles, held together by mineral, metallic
therein, consists of abrasive particles, held together by mineral, metallic
or
or organic
organic bonds
bonds whether
whether natural
natural or
or artificial
artificial

z
zAA mounted
mounted wheel
wheel or
or point
point and
and aa wheel
wheel or
or disc
disc having
having in
in either
either case
case separate
separate
segments of abrasive material
segments of abrasive material

z
zAA wheel
wheel or
or disc
disc made
made inin either
either case
case of
of metal,
metal, wood,
wood, cloth,
cloth, felt,
felt, rubber
rubber or
or paper
paper
and having any surface consisting wholly or partly of abrasive material
and having any surface consisting wholly or partly of abrasive material

z
zA A wheel,
wheel, disc
disc or
or saw
saw to
to any
any surface
surface of
of which
which is
is attached
attached aa rim
rim or
or segments
segments
consisting
consisting in either case of diamond abrasive particles and which is, or
in either case of diamond abrasive particles and which is, or intended
intended to
to
be power driven and which is for use in any grinding or cutting operation.
be power driven and which is for use in any grinding or cutting operation.
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Hazards involving abrasive wheels

Hazards involving the mounting and use of Abrasive

Wheels fall into three main types:

1) Particles being thrown out during a grinding

process.
2) Grinding wheels bursting and disintegrating.
3) Contact between a revolving wheel and a person’s
hand or other part of the body

• These hazards can be relatively minor, however, the

Abrasive Wheel can and has caused serious injuries
and in some cases have proved fatal.
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Hazards involving abrasive wheels

zThe
zThe most
most serious
serious hazards
hazards involving
involving Abrasive
Abrasive Wheels
Wheels occur
occur
when
when wheels
wheels burst
burst and
and flying
flying particles
particles strike
strike people
people in
in the
the
vicinity.
vicinity. This
This has
has caused
caused fatalities
fatalities when
when people
people have
have had
had an
an
artery
artery severed
severed by
by aa flying
flying piece
piece of
of the
the wheel
wheel

zThe
zThe three
three main
main causes
causes are
are over
over speeding
speeding

zIncorrect
zIncorrect mounting
mounting of
of the
the wheels
wheels on
on the
the grinding
grinding machine
machine

zTemperature
zTemperature of
of abrasive
abrasive wheel.
wheel.
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Training of Persons to Mount Abrasive Wheels

• No person may mount an abrasive wheel unless they

have been specifically trained, competent to carry out
the work.
• The training shall include:

1 Provision and issue of literature and specifications relating to the

mounting of abrasive wheels

2 Hazards arising from the use of abrasive wheels and precautions,

which must be observed

3 Methods of marking abrasive wheels as to type and speed

4 Methods of storing, handling and transporting abrasive wheels

Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Training of Persons to Mount Abrasive Wheels

5 Methods of inspecting and testing abrasive wheels to check for

damage

6 The functions of all components used with abrasive wheels, including

flanges, washers, bushes and nuts used in mounting, including
knowledge of the correct and incorrect methods of assembling all
components and correct balancing of abrasive wheels

7 The correct method of dressing an abrasive wheel

8 The adjustment of the rest of an abrasive wheel.

- Any person using an abrasive wheel that may not necessary mount
the wheels must also be trained in the correct use of the machine,
including the Personal Protective Equipment to be used
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Selection of Abrasive Wheels

Selecting the correct Abrasive Wheel for the job is equally

important for efficient production and for Safety. As a rule of
thumb, soft wheels are more suitable for hard material and hard
wheels for soft material

Should a soft wheel be used on soft material, the wheel may

become clogged or loaded with material. A hard wheel used on
hard material may become glazed. The Safety results are the
same; the operator presses the work piece hard against the wheel,
causing it to break

The best policy in selecting Abrasive Wheels is to consult

manufactures details and not to experiment
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Selection of Abrasive Wheels

To determine if Abrasive Wheels are in good condition, wheels

that have been manufactured using a vitrified bonding
suspending the wheel vertically and tapping it with a non-
metallic item can check material. If it rings, it is satisfactory,
however, if it ‘thuds’ (sounds dead) it is most probably cracked.
(Ring Test)

Cutting wheels should be slightly ‘flexed’- If a ‘cracking sound’

is heard, the blade is probably damaged.
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Inspecting Abrasive Wheels

Before mounting:
zInspect closely for
damage
zPerform sound- or ring-
test to ensure free from
cracks / defects
To test:
zTap wheel gently with a
light, non-metallic
instrument
zIf wheel sounds cracked
or dead, do not use it
because it could fly apart
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Failure to Ring Test

zFailure to ring test could

result in a disintegrating
wheel.

zThis could lead to serious

injury or death.

Spindle guard removed for

better viewing
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Wheel Speed

Before mounting an abrasive wheel, spindle speed of machine must

be checked and ensured that it does not exceed the maximum
permissible speed marked on the wheel.

It must be remembered that centrifugal force causes the wheels to

burst and the centrifugal force increases not directly with the speed
of the wheel but as the square of the speed, for example, doubling the
speed of the wheel increases four folds its tendency to burst

The speed at which the grinding wheel revolves is, therefore,

extremely important
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Wheel Speed

Alternatively, as an abrasive wheel wears down it looses

peripheral speed and therefore efficiency. In the interest of
economy and safety wheels should not be used that have
worn down excessively. If the abrasive wheel is then used at
low speeds, it will not cut efficiently and there will be a
tendency for the work piece to be pressed hard against the
wheel resulting in damage and possible bursting.

The most effective speed at which to operate an abrasive

wheel is the maximum speed recommended by the
manufacturer of the wheel
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Abrasive Wheel Use

To prevent cracking:
• fit the wheel on the spindle
freely
• tighten the spindle nut enough
to hold the wheel in place
without distorting the flange

Let the tool come up to speed

prior to grinding or cutting

Don’t stand in front of the wheel

as it comes up to full speed

Use eye and/or face protection,

Use dust mask (in case of dry Ensure the spindle speed
doesn’t exceed the maximum
grinding)
speed marked on the wheel
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Guarding of Abrasive Wheels

Functions of Guards. The guards have four main functions

1 To contain the fragments of the wheel in the event of bursting

2 To protect the wheel from accidental damage

3 To prevent as far as is possible persons from accidentally coming into

contact with the wheel

4 To prevent an oversize wheel from being mounted on the machine

Safe Use of Guards

Guards must be securely attached to the machine and kept in place at

1 all times during operation
On straight-sided wheels the maximum angle exposure of the wheel
2 and the sides shall not exceed 180 degrees

3 On bench / pedestal mounted grinding machines the machine shall be

provided with a front transparent screen securely fastened to the body
of the machine.
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Abrasive Wheels and Tools

May throw off flying

fragments Equip with
guards that:

•Cover the spindle end, nut,

& flange projections
•Maintain proper alignment
with the wheel
•Don’t exceed the strength
of the fastenings

Guard so that a minimal

Amount of the wheel is
exposed
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Tool Rests on Bench / Pedestal Mounted Machines

Tool rests must be properly secured and adjusted as close as

practicable to the exposed part of the wheel. Every rest must be of
substantial construction and properly maintained.

Should the tool rests not be properly secured or adjusted as close as

practicable to the wheel, there is a risk of it moving which could
result in the operators hand coming into contact with the rotating
wheel

If the gap between the wheel and the tool rest is to large, the
work-piece could become trapped between the wheel and the
tool rest, resulting in the operators hand being thrown
against the rotating wheel. It is also possible that the
additional pressure against the wheel could result in the
wheel bursting
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
PRECAUTIONS

z
z Bench
Bench and
and pedestal
pedestal grinders
grinders should
should be
be permanently
permanently mounted
mounted or or secured.
secured.
z
z The
The maximum
maximum RPM RPM rating
rating of
of each
each abrasive
abrasive wheel
wheel must
must be
be compatible
compatible withwith
the
the RPM
RPM rating
rating ofof the
the grinder
grinder motor.
motor.
z
z Each
Each electrically
electrically operated
operated grinder
grinder should
should be
be effectively
effectively grounded.
grounded.
z
z Each
Each grinder
grinder should
should have
have an
an individual
individual "On"
"On" and
and "Off"
"Off" control
control switch.
switch.
zThe
zThe side
side of
of aa wheel
wheel should
should not
not be
be used
used for
for grinding,
grinding, unless
unless it
it is
is aa special
special
type
type of
of wheel
wheel designed
designed forfor that
that purpose.
purpose.
z
z Defective
Defective abrasive
abrasive wheels
wheels (cracked,
(cracked, broken,
broken, out
out of
of balance)
balance) should
should notnot be
be
used.
used.
z
z Abrasive
Abrasive wheels
wheels that
that have
have been
been discarded
discarded should
should not
not be
be re-used.
re-used.
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
ABRASIVE WHEEL SETUP

•Grinding wheels should be

equipped with a work rest,
also referred to as a tool
rest, that holds the work
firmly.

•The work rest must be kept

adjusted close to the wheel
with a maximum opening of
1/8” to prevent the work
from being jammed between
the wheel and the rest.
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Safe Guarding!! - SECL Project
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Starting Abrasive Wheels

Before running new or existing wheels, checks must be made to

ensure
- The guard is correctly adjusted.
- If the machine is fitted with a rest for work pieces this must be
adjusted as close as possible to the surface of the wheel. It is good
practice to rotate the wheel by and to make sure there is no fouling.

After completing these checks, the wheel should be initially started

slowly to avoid any temperature difference between central part and
peripheral part which could result in fragmentation of abrasive wheel

Newly mounted wheels should be run free at full operating

speed for a short period of time before they are used for
work, during this trial all persons should stand clear of the
machine
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Starting Abrasive Wheels

If the Abrasive Wheel is mounted on a hand held machine, the

operator should hold the machine firmly, but as far away from his
body as possible

It is also good practice to carry out this trial on Abrasive

Wheels machines that already have the wheels mounted
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Personal protective equipments

Any person carrying out grinding operations/cutting, truing or

dressing of abrasive wheels must wear suitable eye protection.
Suitable eye protection for all operations involving abrasive wheels is
a safety goggle to grade 1 impact; other types of eye protectors may
not provide suitable protection against the possibility of flying
particles

For additional protection, the use of a face shield is recommended

Where bench/pedestal mounted grinding machines are in use,

transparent screens are to be in place and used. All
transparent screens must be kept clean and replaced when
they become scratched, preventing the work piece from being
seen
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Personal protective equipments

•Eye injuries at grinder have

demonstrated that safety
glasses are insufficient
protection.
•ALWAYS wear face shield
when using a grinder
•ALWAYS use dust mask
during dry grinding as fine
particles are librated in this
process.
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Storing Abrasive Wheels

Any straight-sided wheel e.g. those in use on bench/pedestal

mounted machines, should be stored on their edge or on a spindle
Precautions must be taken to prevent them from falling over and
rolling

Abrasive wheels should be stored in clean and dry areas

Thin wheels (cutting off wheels) should be stored flat on a horizo

ntal surface to prevent warping
Safety in the use of Abrasive Wheels
Any Questions?