INFLUÊNCIA DO VOLUME DE ÁGUA UTILIZADO NO PROCESSO DE POLIMENTO DE ROCHAS ORNAMENTAIS NA QUALIDADE DO BRILHO FINAL

Influence of the volume of water used in the polishing process of ornamental rocks on the final gloss

Abstract

Influence of the volume of water used in the polishing process of ornamental rocks on the final gloss. Dimension stones are processed natural material products used for aesthetic reasons. Polishing is part of the benefiting process and it's used to lower surface roughness of the material and consequently give it a greater gloss. The gloss is one of the parameters to measure the quality of the polishing process. Although water flow during the polishing is directly linked to the brightness of the material, it has not yet been extensively studied. So, obtaining knowledge about the amount to be used can improve the quality of the process and decrease the use of water resources when benefiting dimension stones The objective of this study was to vary the amount of water used to polish three ornamental rocks in order to verify its influence on the final surface quality. Different types of rock were used: granite, gneiss and diorite, commercially known as: Corumbá Gray, White Dallas and Black São Gabriel. These materials were polished at three different flow rates. The first was the usual quantity used by the company where the research was conducted, 23.5 L/min, the second at 17 L/min and the third at 12 L/min. It was noticed that, in general, reducing the amount of water increased the brightness. It's very interesting for the industry, as it improves the quality of the product and reduces the use of water resources in the process, a very important fact in terms of sustainability.

Keywords: ornamental rocks, polishing, gloss, water.