Patent ID: 7435276

Claim:
A composite material comprising: a plurality of coated abrasive particles in a metal matrix, wherein the abrasive particles are coated with a coating comprising: an inner layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, titanium, zinc, palladium, carbides, borides, nitrides, oxides, and mixtures thereof; and an outer layer comprising an outer layer material selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt, iron, an alloy of nickel and phosphorus, an alloy of cobalt and phosphorus, an alloy of iron and phosphorus, an alloy of nickel and boron, an alloy of cobalt and boron, an alloy of iron and boron, intermetallics, and mixtures thereof, wherein the outer layer further comprises a surface topography comprising at least 5 spikes that comprise the outer layer material; and wherein the outer layer has a tortuosity T of at least about 1.1.