Hardness Testing

Hardness testing on welds performed to evaluate the strength of the weld. In particular, the
hardness around the heat affected zone (HAZ) is of interest. The hardness in and around the
HAZ can assist you in evaluating the brittleness of the weld and, thus, whether the weld has
the desired strength.
Often a series of measurements in a given pattern are made at a given distance from the
sample edge or from top of the weld. The progression of the hardness values can then be
plotted in a graph.