Synonyms
Attrition; Erosion
Definition
Erosion of surfaces by impacts of harder particles on softer surfaces propelled by a dynamic medium.
In engineering geology, abrasion is significant in three main ways:
Erosion of the Earth’s surface
Damage caused by abrasive minerals and rocks to machinery
Selection of minerals that are suitable for use as industrial and domestic abrasives.
This is a complicated topic that is not yet fully resolved. Matters of specific interest include:
The relative ease or difficulty of (resistance to) excavation, drilling, or cutting of rocks and soils
Susceptibility to abrasion of surfaces including aggregates in highway pavements, machinery and natural stone used in buildings to abrasion.
Abrasion is often a two way process with the harder material affected less by wear than the softer material.
In general, abrasion increases with hardness, grain size, and angularity of mineral content; type of cementation; degree of alteration and discontinuities in the...
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Marker, B.R. (2018). Abrasion. In: Bobrowsky, P.T., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73568-9_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73568-9_3
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