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Understanding Hardness Tests Explained

This document discusses hardness and various hardness tests. It defines hardness as a material's resistance to localized plastic deformation. It describes four common hardness tests: Brinell, Rockwell, Vickers, and Knoop. The Brinell test uses a steel or carbide ball pressed into the material under a load. The Rockwell test uses a cone or ball indenter under increasing loads. The Vickers and Knoop tests use pyramidal diamond indenters under various loads, with Vickers suitable for all metals and Knoop for small samples or hard materials. Hardness values provide an estimate of other properties like tensile strength.

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Aanand Rishabh Daga
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128 views15 pages

Understanding Hardness Tests Explained

This document discusses hardness and various hardness tests. It defines hardness as a material's resistance to localized plastic deformation. It describes four common hardness tests: Brinell, Rockwell, Vickers, and Knoop. The Brinell test uses a steel or carbide ball pressed into the material under a load. The Rockwell test uses a cone or ball indenter under increasing loads. The Vickers and Knoop tests use pyramidal diamond indenters under various loads, with Vickers suitable for all metals and Knoop for small samples or hard materials. Hardness values provide an estimate of other properties like tensile strength.

Uploaded by

Aanand Rishabh Daga
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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  • Hardness Overview
  • Brinell Hardness Test
  • Rockwell Hardness Test
  • Vickers Hardness Test
  • Knoop Hardness Test

HARDNESS

HARDNESS
HARDNESS: It is a measure of a materials resistance to
localized plastic deformation (e.g., a small dent or a
scratch)
HARDNESS TESTS
1) BRINELL HARDNESS TEST
2) ROCKWELL HARDNESS TEST
3) VICKERS HARDNESS TEST
4) KNOOP HARDNESS TEST

HARDNESS TESTS
1. They are simple and inexpensiveordinarily no
special specimen need be prepared, and the testing
apparatus is relatively inexpensive.
2. The test is nondestructivethe specimen is neither
fractured

nor

excessively

deformed;

small

indentation is the only deformation.


3. Other mechanical properties often may be estimated
from hardness data, such as tensile strength

Brinell Hardness Test


This test is widely used for testing metals and non-metals
of low to medium hardness
In the test, a hardened steel (or cemented carbide) ball of
10-mmdiameter is pressed into the surface of a specimen
using a load of 500, 1500, or 3000 kg
The load is then divided into the indentation area to obtain
the Brinell Hardness Number (BHN)
In equation form

The resulting BHN has units of kg/mm2, but the units are
usually omitted in expressing the number
For harder materials (above 500 BHN), the cemented
carbide ball is used because the steel ball experiences
elastic deformation that compromises the accuracy of the
reading

Also, higher loads (1500 and 3000 kg) are typically used
for harder materials

Because of differences in results under different loads, it is


considered good practice to indicate the load used in the
test when reporting HB readings

Rockwell Hardness Test

In the Rockwell Hardness Test, a cone-shaped indenter


or small-diameter ball, with diameter = 1.6 or 3.2 mm
(1/16 or 1/8 in) is pressed into the specimen using a
minor load of 10 kg, thus seating the indenter in the
material
The dial indicator is zeroed and then a major load of 60,
100 or 150 kg is applied, forcing the penetrator into the
specimen
The final depth or penetration is registered directly on
the dial indicator as a hardness number

Vickers Hardness Test


Uses a pyramid shaped Indenter made of diamond
It is based on the principle that impressions made by this
indenter are geometrically similar regardless of load
Accordingly, loads of various size are applied, depending
on the hardness of the material to be measured
where F =applied load, kg, and D =the diagonal of the
impression made by the indenter, mm
The Vickers test can be used for all metals

Knoop Hardness Test


Uses a pyramid-shaped diamond indenter, but the
pyramid has a length-to-width ratio of about 7:1
The applied loads are generally lighter than in the
Vickers test
It is a micro-hardness test, meaning that it is suitable for
measuring small, thin specimens or hard materials that
might fracture if a heavier load were applied
The indenter shape facilitates reading of the impression
under the lighter loads used in this test

Both tensile strength and hardness are indicators of a


metals resistance to plastic deformation
As a rule of thumb for most steels, the HB and the
tensile strength are related according to

HARDNESS HARDNESS
HARDNESS HARDNESS • HARDNESS: It is a measure of a material’s resistance to localized plastic deformation (e.g., a small den
HARDNESS TESTS 1. They are simple and inexpensive—ordinarily no special specimen need be prepared, and the testing apparatu
Brinell Hardness Test • This test is widely used for testing metals and non-metals of low to medium hardness • In the test,
• The resulting BHN has units of kg/mm2, but the units are usually omitted in expressing the number • For harder materials (
Rockwell Hardness Test
• In the Rockwell Hardness Test, a cone-shaped indenter or small-diameter ball, with diameter = 1.6 or 3.2 mm (1/16 or 1/8
Vickers Hardness Test • Uses a pyramid shaped Indenter made of diamond • It is based on the principle that impressions made b

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