Effect of Grain Size in Silica Blasting Processes on the Surface Roughness of Medical Grade SS 316L

Abstract

The paper presents the effect of size and repetition process on silica blasting on the surface character of Medical Grade SS316L. In this study, topography and surface roughness of SS316L will be evaluated both using optical and stylus methods. Medical Grade SS316L was blasted using silica sand with a mesh size of 10-30 (then called K), mesh 40-60 (then called S), and mesh 70-90 (then called H). Silica blasting processes was carried out on the surface of Medical Grade SS316L at room temperature, 90° of nozzle direction, and 7 bar of nozzle pressure. The silica blasting process was carried out by varying the treatments of K, S, H, KH, and SH for 10 minutes each. The results show that roughness increases with the size of silica sand, moreover the repetition of the H process on the K and S (KH and SH process) will refine the surface roughness of the results of S and K processes but when compared to H is relatively coarse.