Kurdistan regional government

Ministry of higher education & scientific research

Erbil polytechnic university
Technical engineering college
Mechanical and energy engineering
Metallurgy laboratory (2018-2019)

Hardness Test
NAME: wrya Luqman hussein
NO: 3
Supervised by: dr. Osman

December-11-2018
Definition
Defined as the resistance of metal to plastic deformation, usually by indentation. However, the term may
also refer to stiffness or temper or to resistance to scratching, abrasion, or cutting. It is the property of a
metal, which gives it the ability to resist being permanently, deformed (bent, broken, or have its shape
changed), when a load is applied. The greater the hardness of the metal, the greater resistance it has to
deformation.

Hardness testing is employed as a non-destructive testing (NDT) technique on materials. It can be used
to check if the correct heat treatment was conducted on steels and for age hardening of alloys. Cold
working and annealing can also be investigated by employing hardness testing to determine the
hardness values after different conditions.

Process
The most common hardness measurement technique is a direct measurement by forcing an indenter
into the surface of the material at a fixed pressure or force. The amount of plastic deformation below the
indenter is then used as a measure of the hardness of a material. The more plastic deformation for the
same load then the softer the material. The system indents the material under precise conditions and
returns a number on the digital readout of the machine.

Rockwell Hardness Test

The Rockwell hardness test method consists of indenting the test material with a diamond cone or
hardened steel ball indenter. The indenter is forced into the test material under a preliminary minor
load F0 (Fig. 1A) usually 10 kgf. When equilibrium has been reached, an indicating device, which follows
the movements of the indenter and so responds to changes in depth of penetration of the indenter is set
to a datum position. While the preliminary minor load is still applied an additional major load is applied
with resulting increase in penetration (Fig. 1B). When equilibrium has again been reach, the additional
major load is removed but the preliminary minor load is still maintained. Removal of the additional
major load allows a partial recovery, so reducing the depth of penetration (Fig. 1C). The permanent
increase in depth of penetration, resulting from the application and removal of the additional major
load is used to calculate the Rockwell hardness number

Fig. 1 Rockwell Principle

F0 = preliminary minor load in kgf
F1 = additional major load in kgf
F = total load in kgf
e = permanent increase in depth of penetration due to major load F1 measured in units of 0.002 mm
E = a constant depending on form of indenter: 100 units for diamond indenter, 130 units for steel
ball indenter
HR = Rockwell hardness number
D = diameter of steel ball
= –

Procedure
1. The specimen should be in appropriate shape to be fixed on the vice of the tester.
2. An appropriate scale is chosen to be used.
3. The indenter moves down into position on the part surface.
4. A minor load is applied and a zero-reference position is established.
5. The major load is applied for a specified time period (10 seconds).
6. The major load is released leaving the minor load applied.
7. The measurement is taken.

Advantages
- Direct Rockwell hardness number readout and rapid testing time

Disadvantages

- Many arbitrary non-related scales and possible effects from the specimen support anvil (try
putting a cigarette paper under a test block and take note of the effect on the hardness
reading! Vickers and Brinell methods don't suffer from this effect).
The Brinell Hardness Test
The Brinell test characterizes the indentation Hardness of materials through the scale of penetration
of an indenter, loaded on a material test-piece. It is one of several definitions of hardness in material
science.

The Brinell hardness test method consists of indenting the test material with a 10 mm diameter
hardened steel or carbide ball subjected to a load of 3000 kg. For softer materials the load can be
reduced to 1500 kg or 500 kg to avoid excessive indentation. The full load is normally applied for 10 to 15
seconds in the case of iron and steel and for at least 30 seconds in the case of other metals. The
diameter of the indentation left in the test material is measured with a low powered microscope. The
Brinell harness number is calculated by dividing the load applied by the surface area of the indentation.

2F
HBN =
πD ¿ ¿

Where F is Applied force (N)

D= Diameter of indenter

d= Diameter of indentation

A well-structured Brinell hardness number reveals the test conditions, and looks like this, "75 HB
10/500/30" which means that a Brinell Hardness of 75 was obtained using a 10mm diameter hardened
steel with a 500 kg load applied for a period of 30 seconds.

200 HB/10/3000
2
200: Hardness number (kgf/mm ).
HB: Brinell hardness.
10: Ball diameter (mm).
3000: Applied load (kgf).

Advantages

This method is the best for achieving the bulk or macro-hardness of a material, particularly those
materials with heterogeneous structures.
Vickers Hardness Test
The Vickers hardness test method consists of indenting the test material with a diamond indenter, in the
form of a pyramid with a square base and an angle of 136 degrees between opposite faces subjected to a
test force of between 1gf and 100kgf. The full load is normally applied for 10 to 15 seconds. The two
diagonals of the indentation left in the surface of the material after removal of the load are measured
using a microscope and their average calculated. The area of the sloping surfaces of the indentation is
calculated. The Vickers hardness is the quotient obtained by dividing the kgf load by the square mm area
of indentation.

When the mean diagonal of the indentation has been determined the Vickers hardness may be
calculated from the formula, but is more convenient to use conversion tables

800 HV/10 means A Vickers hardness of 800, was obtained using a 10 kgf force
F kg
HVN =1.854 2 =
d m m2

Where HV = Vickers Hardness

F= load applied in kgf

d= Arithmetic mean of the two diagonals, d1 and d2 in mm

Microhardness Testing (Knoop hardness test)

The Knoop hardness test  is a microhardness test – a test for mechanical hardness used particularly for very
brittle materials or thin sheets, where only a small indentation may be made for testing purposes.
A pyramidal diamond point is pressed into the polished surface of the test material with a known (often 100g)
load, for a specified dwell time, and the resulting indentation is measured using a microscope. The geometry of
this indenter is an extended pyramid with the length to width ratio being 7:1 and respective face angles are 172
degrees for the long edge and 130 degrees for the short edge. The depth of the indentation can be
approximated as 1/30 of the long dimension.[1] The Knoop hardness HK or KHN is then given by the formula:
F kg
KHN =14.2 =
l m m2
2

where:
L = length of indentation along its long axis
Cp = correction factor related to the shape of the indenter, ideally 0.070279
P = load

Calculation

D1=359 x 10−3 mm

D 2=343 x 10−3 mm

F=50 kg force
 F
HVN =1.854
d2

50 kg
HVN =1.854 2
=752.42
−3
359 x 10 +343 x 10 ) −3
m m2
(( 2 )
Discussion

1. Is there any relation between hardness and strength property of metals? Explain

ANS/ Strength is defined as the ability to withstand an applied load without failure.
Hardness, on the other hand, is defined as the ability to resist deformation. But even though the two are different,
they are also directly related. Increase one and the other follows suit

2. List the advantages and disadvantages of each of the above hardness testing method

ANS/ 1- The Rockwell method has the following advantages:

 no specimen preparation required (separation, grinding, embedding)
 hardness value directly readable, no optical evaluation required (measurement of diagonals as in the optical
methods)
 quick (short test cycle) and cost-effective process (the relevant hardness testers are relatively inexpensive, as
they do not need to be equipped with elaborate optical systems, such as those used in Brinell, Vickers and
Knoop machines)
 non-destructive testing; the test specimen can be used for other purposes.

The Rockwell method has the following disadvantages:

 It is not always the most accurate hardness testing method, as even a slight error in measuring the depth
difference can result in a significant error in the calculated hardness value.
 The test location must be completely free of all contamination (e.g. scale, foreign bodies or oil) in order to
achieve a meaningful test result.
 The indenter has unknown effects on the test results, e.g. if the indenter is worn and the point of the tip is no
longer sufficiently acute (only use certified and calibrated indenters in order to minimize such effects!).
 With increasing hardness, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between materials.
2- The Vickers method has the following advantages:

 The Vickers method can be used with any and all materials and test specimens, from soft to hard, as the procedure
covers the entire hardness range.
 There is only one type of indenter, which can be used for all Vickers methods.
 Non-destructive testing is possible, so the test specimen can be used for other purposes.

 
The Vickers method has the following disadvantages:

 The surface quality of the specimen must be good, because the indent is measured optically. This means that the test
location must be prepared (ground and polished), otherwise precise evaluation is difficult.
 The process is rather slow (compared with the Rockwell method). The test cycle takes somewhere between 30 and 60
seconds, not including the time taken to prepare the specimen.
 Due to the need to conduct optical indent evaluation, Vickers hardness testers must be equipped with an optical system,
which makes them more expensive to purchase than Rockwell testers.
3- The Knoop method has the following advantages:

 The Knoop method can be used with any and all materials and test specimens, from soft to hard, as the procedure covers
the entire hardness range.
 There is only one type of indenter, which can be used for all Knoop methods.
 Evaluation is more precise than the Vickers method, because the Knoop measurement diagonal (longitudinal diagonal) is
longer for any given indentation depth.
 The test is non-destructive, and there is only very minor damage to the specimen surface (less than that with Vickers,
because both the indentation depth and the risk of crack formation at the indent edge in glass and ceramics is lower than
with Vickers).
 It is particularly suitable for testing small, longish components and very thin layers as well as brittle materials (glass and
ceramics) for which no other method is appropriate.

The Knoop method has the following disadvantages:

 The surface quality of the specimen must be good, because the indent is measured optically. This means that the test
location should be prepared, otherwise precise evaluation is difficult.
 The process is rather slow (compared with the Rockwell method). The test cycle takes somewhere between 30 and 60
seconds, not including the time taken to prepare the specimen.
 Due to the need to conduct optical indent evaluation, Knoop hardness testers must be equipped with an optical system,
which makes them more expensive to purchase than Rockwell testers.
 Use of this method is not very common in Europe.
4- The Brinell method has the following advantages:

 The Brinell method can be used for testing non-homogeneous materials (e.g. castings), because the large ball comes into
contact with many crystals (different metallographic constituents of the material), thereby forming a mechanical average
value.
 A choice can be made between a large number of test forces and ball diameters for the widest variety of applications.
 Relatively large test indents that are easier to measure the rather small Vickers indentations.
 The specimen surface can be rough.

The Brinell method has the following disadvantages:

 The surface quality of the specimen must be good, because the indent is measured optically. This means that the test
location must be prepared.  
 High risk of deforming the material to be tested when testing in the macro range with high test loads (e.g. HBW 10/3000)
and consequent risk of measuring errors due to wall formation. Therefore, good illumination of the test indent is important
for ensuring correct evaluation of the test indent (e.g. with the aid of a ring light).
 Limitation in applying the method on thin specimens of very hard.
 The process is slow (by comparison with the Rockwell method). The test cycle takes somewhere between 30 and 60
seconds, not including the time taken to prepare the specimen.

3. Which of the methods mentioned above is more accurate?

ANS/ Rockwell hardness test

4. List some applications of microhardness method

ANS/ Vickers hardness test method

Knoop hardness test method