he TABER® Multi-Media Abraser provides a reproducible method to measure the relative abrasiveness of most fluids, powders, pastes and semi-solids.  Used in conjunction with the Taber Rotary Abraser, the Multi-Media Abraser is valuable to characterize how these mediums cause wear when they come in contact with different components.
The sliding wear concept utilized in the Multi-Media Abraser was first utilized to evaluate different types of adhesive and sealant formulations.  The amount of wear observed in laboratory tests correlated well with the amount of wear that different adhesive formulations caused on moving parts in pumps and other application equipment in an automotive manufacturing setting. 
 
The medium to be tested is placed in a specimen dish that includes a replaceable stainless steel wear disc on the bottom.  As the dish rotates, an integral drive shaft operates a set of gears which turn the spline shaft.  At the base of the shaft is a pin holder with three (3) replaceable hi-grade brass pins that rotate in the opposite direction of the specimen dish.  As the test medium flows between the brass pins and stainless steel wear disc, the material acts as an abrasive and causes wear.
To test a wide range of material viscosities, both load and pin holder speeds are adjustable.
 
The standard testing load on the brass pins can be varied from 250g to 1,000g (in 250g increments with the supplied weight discs).  Optional weight discs can bring the maximum load to 2,500g.
 
The rotational speed of the specimen dish is dependent on the model Taber Abraser that is being used.  By changing the gearing, the rotational speed of the pin holder can be altered as noted in the table below.  The more abrasive or viscous, or larger the particulate size a media presents, the more resistance it adds to the system. Therefore, a lower / slower drive ratio speed should be used.  The optional gearing provides a greater range of testing speeds and is recommended for specimen loadings greater than 1,750g or where there is a low percent by volume particulate concentration in the medium.