How to Measure the Hardness of Metals?

Hardness is one of the prime attributes of materials that helps the materials to resist deformation which is caused due to penetration. On the other hand, the hardness property of material also helps a material to resist scratching, bending cutting or abrasion. It is not an intrinsic property which is dictated by the accurate definitions in terms of various fundamental units such as length, mass and time. The hardness value of the material can be judged only with the result of defined measurement procedures.

How can hardness be evaluated?

The stiffness of a material can be evaluated by measuring the resistance of the material to scratching or cutting. For example, Material Y grazes material Z but not the material X. On the other hand, material X scratches material Y lightly and material Z heavily. The relative hardness of the materials can be measured by making use of Hardness scales that ranks the capability of the materials to resist scratching when it is scratched by another material.

This type of hardness is limited to particular materials such as rubbers, papers; paints, etc. but it does not offer accurate numeric data to all types of materials especially in the case of metals and materials. To measure the stiffness of metals, indentation hardness test is performed.

What is indentation Hardness?

Indentation hardness test helps to measure the resistance of the sample to material deformation due to constant compression load which is applied to the material using a sharp object. This type of test is performed by the engineers and in metallurgy fields. The test works on the methodology of measuring the crucial dimension of indentation which is left by a specific load and specific diameter of the indenter.

How to perform indentation hardness test?

To perform the indentation hardness test to measure the hardness strength of metals, it is mandatory to measure the depth and area of indentation which is left by an indenter of a specific shape which is applied for a specific time period and with a specific amount of force. To perform the indentation hardness test on metals, three standard test methods are provided by the regulatory bodies to express the relationship between hardness strength and size of an impression. The standard test methods are known by the name Brinell, Vickers, and Rockwell. To perform the practical test on the metals using these methods, the Hardness testing instruments are used. These instruments are comprised of scales of different ranges, a combination of loads and along with the specific diameter of the indenter.

Brinell Hardness Tester – For Metals Hardness Measurement

Brinell Hardness Testing Machine is the well-known testing device which is used to perform Brinell Hardness Test. The test method comprises of indenter which is used to provide a specific amount of load on the metal sheet to measure the hardness of the materials. The hardness of material is calculated by dividing the load applied to the surface area of the indentation. If you are looking for a high-quality testing machine, always buy it from reputed manufacturers for highly precise test results.

For more information on Brinell hardness testing Machine, contact our experts.