Features

An essential component of conducting "Taber wear tests" is the type of abrasive wheel that is used.
Standardized grades of Genuine Taber abrasive wheels, engineered for a variety of specific applications.
The wheels are a proprietary formulation developed and designed by Taber Industries so the binder material breaks down during use, exposing and creating a new abrading surface.
The minimum usable diameter of Taber abrading wheels is 44.4 mm, which corresponds with the wheel label.
Abrading wheels for the Taber Abraser (Abrader) can be classified as:
- Calibrase® - A resilient wheel composed of resilient binder and aluminum oxide or silicon carbide abrasive particles. Frequently used to evaluate rigid specimens. WARNING: Because of possible deterioration, Calibrase wheels should NOT be used after the expiration date printed on the wheel.
- Calibrade® - A non-resilient wheel composed of a vitrified (clay) binder and silicon carbide or aluminum oxide abrasive particles. Frequently used to evaluate flexible specimens. NOTE: Calibrade wheels do not have an expiration period.
- Sandpaper Strips - Include a pressure sensitive adhesive to attach the strip to the periphery of CS-0 (S-32) resilient wheels. The paper is an "A" weight which satisfies the paper grammage requirement of 70 - 100 g/m². To maintain the rate of abrasion, the sandpaper strips must be changed after a defined number of test cycles (typically 200 or 500).
Wheels are sold in pairs, and shipped in tight-lidded containers to prevent damage.
Each wheel is labeled "LEFT WHEEL (or RIGHT WHEEL)" to assure that the mounting position will be duplicated after the wheels have been removed and later re-installed.
For Calibrase and Calibrade wheels, the label is also used to indicate the minimum diameter of the wheels (1.75 inch or 44.45 mm OD). When the wheel is worn to the label, it must be replaced.

Technical Attributes

Data

Model	Abrasive Action	Examples of Material Tested	Notes
Calibrase® Abrading Wheels
CS-8	Extremely Mild	Labels	Do not exceed 500g load; reface with S-11 disc
CS-10F	Very Mild - Mild	Safety glazing, transparent plastics	Do not exceed 500g load; reface with ST-11 refacing stone
CS-10	Mild - Medium	Organic coatings, plastics, textiles, leather	Reface with S-11 disc
CS-10W	Mild - Medium	Textiles	No colorant, eliminates color transfer from the wheel to the specimen; reface with S-11 disc
CS-17	Medium - Harsh	Anodized aluminum, powder coatings, ceramics, plastics and enamels	Reface with S-11 disc
NOTE: Shelf life is dependent on proper storage conditions: temperature = 23 °C ±2 °C, relative humidity = 50% ±5%. Calibrase wheels should be refaced with S-11 disc, except for CS-10F. Do not use AFTER expiration date. Custom formulations available.
Calibrade® Abrading Wheels
H-38	Mild	Woven and non-woven fabrics	Do not exceed 500g load; reface with multi-point diamond tool
H-10	Mild - Medium	Steel and ferrous alloys (including the effect of hardening and tempering treatments)	Reface with single-point diamond tool
H-18	Medium - Coarse	Rubber (non-tacky), woven textile fabrics, coated fabrics, flexible plastic sheet	Reface with single-point diamond tool
H-22	Harsh	Rubber, linoleum, leather, automobile floor coverings, concrete	Reface with single-point diamond tool
NOTE: Calibrade wheels should be refaced with Wheel Refacer and single point diamond tool, except for H-38. Calibrade wheels do not have an expiration period. Custom formulations available.
Specialty Wheels and Abradants
CS-0/S-32	Rubber (non-abrasive)	Dental pastes, cleaning powders	Do not use after expiration date; clean with isopropyl alcohol
CS-5	Wool Felt (dense)	Textile fabrics (when the service wear requires one fibrous material to rub against another)	Do not exceed 500g load
S-24	Aluminum (non-abrasive)	Resilient materials, coated abrasives	Clean with isopropyl alcohol
S-33	Sandpaper Strips	Vitreous and porcelain enamels, paints, metallic coatings, furniture surfaces	Use with CS-0 wheels; 12.7 x 160 mm strips include adhesive; P320A FEPA aluminum oxide (avg. particle 46.2µm) closed coat on "A" weight paper (70 - 100 g/m²)
S-42	Sandpaper Strips	High pressure decorative laminates, wood flooring, plastics, furniture surfaces, paints and varnishes	Use with CS-0 wheels; 12.7 x 160 mm strips include pressure sensitive; 180 ANSI-CAMI aluminum oxide (avg. particle 78µm) open coat on "A" weight paper (70 - 100 g/m²)
NOTE: Sandpaper should be stored and conditioned in a controlled environment: temperature = 23 °C ±2 °C, relative humidity = 50% ±5%

More Information

Depending on the abradant type and test specimen, the wheel surface may change (i.e. become clogged) due to the transfer of material from the test specimen to the abrading wheel, and must be cleaned at frequent intervals. How long a set of Genuine Taber Wheels will last is dependent on the load, surface texture and frictional characteristics of the material being tested and frequency of refacing.

Most published test methods provide sufficient details on which abrasive wheels to use. If you are following a particular standard, please refer to it for the appropriate wheel. If your application is not covered by an established procedure, deciding which abrading wheel is best determined with preliminary testing on the actual material. The ideal selection criterion is to reproduce, as nearly possible, the wear which the material will be subjected to in actual use. It is important to keep in mind that wear is a complex phenomenon that may not be exactly replicated through an accelerated abrasion test, and the abrasive wheels represent a limited subset of actual contact conditions that material surfaces will be subjected to while in service.

Load references are per arm. By itself, the abraser arm provides a standard load of 250 grams on the wheel. Using the auxiliary weights, standard wheel loads of 500 or 1000 grams can be obtained. Please note, the markings on the auxiliary weights are NOT reflective of the actual mass of the additional weight. The auxiliary weights are marked with the TOTAL load that will be exerted on the wheel and equals the combined mass of the abraser arm and auxiliary weights. The weight marked 500 gram is actually 250 grams and the weight marked 1000 gram is actually 750 grams.

Other Variations