Home / News & Blog / Abrasive Blog / What Changes Occur in Brown Fused Alumina After Calcination?
Calcination is a transformative process widely applied to Brown Fused Alumina (BFA), a critical material in abrasives and industrial applications. By subjecting BFA to high-temperature treatment, the calcination process enhances its properties, tailoring it for specialized uses such as bonded and coated abrasives. We will explore how calcination changes BFA’s characteristics, the differences between 1050°C and 1350°C treatments, and its various applications.
Calcination is the process of heating materials to high temperatures without melting to alter their physical and chemical properties. In the case of Brown Fused Alumina, calcination enhances toughness, removes impurities, and optimizes its performance for abrasive and industrial tasks.
1050°C Calcination: Medium-temperature heat treatment.
1050 Calcined Brown Fused Alumina is used to improve cleanliness and capillarity. It also reduces the reverse expansion, impurities and micro-cracks caused by crushing of abrasive particles, and the grain has the characteristics of high purity, stable chemical properties and high temperature resistance. As a result, it brings an extremely stable sintering process and makes the vitrified wheels without any defect of microcracks and small holes in surface and inside.
1350°C Calcination: High-temperature heat treatment, also known as “Blue Fired.”
1350 Calcined Brown Fused Alumina imparts a bluish color to the grain, that is the reason suppliers like the name of “Blue Fired”. After calcination, the impurities existing in the abrasive are precipitated or vaporized, which makes the brown fused alumina purer with maximum toughness and durability.
However, the flowability of calcined abrasive is not that good, the moisture-proof ability becomes worse, needs some additives to improve it.
Calcined BFA is a versatile material with applications in several industries:
1. Bonded Abrasives
Used in grinding wheels, calcined BFA enhances the wheels’ toughness and precision, ensuring effective material removal.
2. Coated Abrasives
From sandpapers to polishing belts, calcined grains provide durability and consistency.
3. Specialized Industrial Applications
Beyond abrasives, calcined BFA is used in:
Refractory linings for furnaces.
High-performance ceramics.
Surface treatment processes requiring enhanced durability.
Image 1: The Calcination Process
Image 2: Blue Fired Grains
Calcination transforms Brown Fused Alumina, enhancing its toughness, purity, and usability for abrasive and industrial applications. 1050°C calcination optimizes cleanliness and stability, while 1350°C calcination maximizes toughness and imparts the unique “Blue Fired” quality. These advancements enable calcined BFA to meet the rigorous demands of industries that require precision, durability, and reliability.
