INTERNATIONAL ISO

STANDARD 18203

First edition
2016-12-01

Steel — Determination of the

thickness of surface-hardened layers
Acier — Détermination de l’épaisseur des couches durcies
superficielles

Reference number
ISO 18203:2016(E)

I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n

© ISO 2016
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT

© ISO 2016, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part o f this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country o f
the requester.
ISO copyright o ffice
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
www.iso.org

ii
I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

Contents Page
Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ iv
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. v
1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative reference ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms and definitions ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
4 Symbols, abbreviations and designations .................................................................................................................................. 3
5 Principle ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
6 Apparatus ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
7 Test specimen .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
7.1 Selection and preparation of samples ................................................................................................................................. 4
7.2 Preparation of the surface to be examined ..................................................................................................................... 5
8 Method of measurement .............................................................................................................................................................................. 5
8.1 Hardness testing method ............................................................................................................................................................... 5
8.2 Microscopic methods......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
8.2.1 Total thickness of surface hardening depth (THD) ............................................................................ 6
8.2 .2 C o mp o und layer thicknes s (C LT) ....................................................................................................................... 6
9 Evaluation of the results ............................................................................................................................................................................... 7
9.1 Case hardening depth (CHD), surface hardening depth (SHD) and nitriding
hardness depth (NHD) ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7
9.2 Total thickness of surface hardening depth (THD) .................................................................................................. 7
9.3 C o mp o und layer thicknes s (C LT) ............................................................................................................................................ 7
10 Test report................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Annex A (normative) Interpolation method for determining the case hardening depth ............................. 9
Annex B (informative) Examples of CLT measurements ............................................................................................................... 11
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
iii
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

Foreword
I SO (the I nternational O rganiz ation for Standardiz ation) is a worldwide federation of national s tandards

bodies (ISO member bodies). The work o f preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has b een es tablished has the right to b e represented on that committee. I nternational

organi zation s , governmental and non- governmental, in liaison with I SO, al so take p ar t in the work.

ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters o f
elec trotechnical s tandardi z ation.

T he procedures used to develop this do cument and those intended for its fur ther maintenance are

describ ed in the I SO/I E C D irec tives , Par t 1 . I n p ar ticu lar the different approval criteria needed for the

di fferent types o f ISO documents should be noted. This document was dra fted in accordance with the
editorial ru les of the I SO/I E C D irec tives , Par t 2 (see www. iso . org/direc tives) .

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some o f the elements o f this document may be the subject o f
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identi fying any or all such patent rights. Details o f
any patent rights identified during the development o f the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the I SO l is t of p atent declarations received (see www. iso . org/p atents) .

Any trade name used in this document is in formation given for the convenience o f users and does not
cons titute an endors ement.

For an explanation on the meaning o f ISO specific terms and expressions related to con formity assessment,
as well as information about I SO ’s adherence to the World Trade O rganization ( WTO) principles in the

Technical B arriers to Trade (TB T ) see the following URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword. html .

T he com mittee res p ons ible for this do cument is I SO/ TC 17, Steel, Sub com mittee SC 7, Methods of testing
(other than mechanical tests and chemical analysis) .

This first edition o f ISO 18203 cancels and replaces ISO 2639:2002, ISO 3754:1976 and ISO 4970:1979,
which have been technically revised.

iv
I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

Introduction
In the p as t, there are th re e ISO s ta nda rd s for me a s uri ng s ur face -hardene d layer. B e c au s e tho s e

s tandard s employe d a l mo s t the s ame pri nciple o f me as u ri ng , it is i ntende d to ma ke it e as y for

mai ntena nce o f the s tanda rd s and appl ic ation o f te s t by i nte grati ng the s e th re e s ta nda rd s .

T he me tho d o f e s ti mati ng u ncer tai nty o f me a s u rement i s no t i nclude d i n th i s do c u ment. I n futu re

revi s ion, u ncer ta i nty o f me as u rement may b e refle c te d b a s e d on re a l appl ic ation s to th i s te s t.

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
v
I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
 INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 18203:2016(E)

Steel — Determination of the thickness of surface-

hardened layers

1 Scope
T h i s do c u ment s p e ci fie s a me tho d o f me a s uri ng the c a s e ha rden i ng dep th, s u r face ha rden i ng dep th,

n itrid i ng ha rd ne s s dep th a nd to ta l th ickne s s o f s u r face h arden i ng dep th ob tai ne d , e . g. therma l (fla me

and induction hardening, electron beam hardening, laser beam hardening, etc.) or thermochemical
(carbonitriding, carburizing and hardening, hardening and nitriding, etc.) treatment.
NO TE Su r face -h a rdene d l ayer c a n b e pro duce d b y me ch a n ic a l me tho d (s ho t b l a s ti ng , s ho t p e en i ng , e tc .) . T he

dep th o f the s e l ayers i s genera l l y s h a l low. M e a s u r i ng a pro fi le o f h a rdene d dep th m ay re qu i re lower te s t force of

hardness test.

2 Normative reference
T he fol lowi ng do c u ments are re ferre d to i n the tex t i n s uch a way th at s ome or a l l o f thei r content

con s titute s re qu i rements o f th i s do c u ment. For date d re ference s , on ly the e d ition cite d appl ie s . For

u ndate d re ference s , the late s t e d ition o f the re ference d do c ument (i nclud i ng a ny amend ments) appl ie s .

ISO 4545-1, Metallic materials — Knoop hardness test — Part 1: Test method
ISO 4545-2, Metallic materials — Knoop hardness test — Part 2: Verification and calibration of testing
machines

ISO 6507-1, Metallic materials — Vickers hardness test — Part 1: Test method
ISO 6507-2, Metallic materials — Vickers hardness test — Part 2: Verification and calibration of testing
machines

3 Terms and definitions

For the pu r p o s e s o f th i s do c u ment, the fol lowi ng term s and defi n ition s apply.

ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
case hardening depth
CHD
p er p end ic u la r d i s tance b e twe en the s u r face and the layer h avi ng a hard ne s s o f 5 5 0 H V i n accordance

with ISO 6507-1 or equivalent Knoop hardness in accordance with ISO 4545-1
N o te 1 to entr y: For s te el s wh ich p re s ent a h a rd ne s s gre ater th a n 45 0 H V at a d i s ta nce o f th re e ti me s the c a s e

hardening depth (determined with a limiting hardness value of 550 HV) from the surface, a limiting hardness
value greater than 550 HV, in steps of 25 units, can be selected for the determination of the case hardening depth
b y agre ement b e twe en i ntere s te d p a r tie s .

N o te 2 to entr y: In genera l , case h a rden i n g co n s i s ts o f c a rb u r i z i ng or c a rb on itr id i n g fol lowe d by quench

hardening (see ISO 4885).

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
1
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

3.2
surface hardening depth
SHD
distance between the sur face and the layer where HV is equal to the value specified by the term
“hardness limit”

Note 1 to entry: Hardness limit is a function o f the minimum sur face hardness required for the part, given by the
following formula:

hardness limit (HV) = A × minimum surface hardness (HV)

Note 2 to entry: 0,80 is usually used for A. Other values can be applied.
Note 3 to entry: SHD measurement should be applied for parts which, in the sur face hardened condition, have a
hardness less than (hardness limit – 100 H V) at a distance 3 × SHD from the surface. Where these conditions are
not satisfied, the definition o f SHD should be agreed between interested parties.
Note 4 to entry: Recommended hardness limit values are listed in Table 1.

Table 1 — Recommended hardness limit values of SHD

Minimum surface hardness Hardness limit

HV HV
300 to 330 250
335 to 355 275
360 to 385 300
390 to 420 325
425 to 455 350
460 to 480 375
485 to 515 400
520 to 545 425
550 to 575 450
580 to 605 475
610 to 635 500
640 to 665 525
670 to 705 550
710 to 730 575
735 to 765 600
770 to 795 625
800 to 835 650
840 to 865 675

3.3
compound layer thickness
CLT
thickness o f the sur face layer formed during the thermochemical treatment and made up o f the chemical
compounds formed by the elements introduced during the treatment and certain elements from the
base metal

2
I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

3.4
nitriding hardness depth
NHD
d i s tance from the s u r face o f n itride l ayer to the p oi nt where the materi a l ha rd ne s s l i m it i s 5 0 H V ab ove

core hardness
N o te 1 to entr y: T he core h a rd ne s s i s de ter m i ne d b y at le a s t th re e h a rd ne s s me a s u rements a nd rou nde d to the

nearest multiple of 10 HV.

3.5
total thickness of surface hardening depth
THD
distance from the examined surface to the limit that shows the same hardness as the matrix hardness
No te 1 to entr y: T he d i s tance i s o ften me as u re d b y the m ic ro s tr uc tu ra l me tho d, wh ich i s the d i s tance from the

s u r face e xam i ne d to the l i m it b e yond wh ich no vi s ible s truc tu re var iation i s de te c te d, a s comp a re d with the

structure of the unaffected metal. The microstructural method does not measure as deep as the hardness method.

4 Symbols, abbreviations and designations

T he s ymb ol s and abbrevi ation s u s e d i n th i s do c u ment a nd thei r corre s p ond i ng de s ignation s are given

in Table 2.
Table 2 — Symbols, abbreviations and designations

Symbol/
Unit Designation
abbreviation
di mm distance of the centre of each impression from the surface
Δ d mm d i s ta nce o f the centre o f two adj acent i mpre s s ion

CHD mm case hardening depth

SHD mm surface hardening depth
CLT μm comp o u nd l ayer th ickne s s

NHD mm nitriding hardness depth

THD mm total thickness of surface hardening depth
Hlimit HV hardness limit

5 Principle
The case hardening depth, surface hardening depth and nitriding hardness depth are determined from
the gradient of hardness on a cross-section normal to the surface.
T hey are derive d graph ica l ly from a c u r ve repre s enti ng the variation i n hard ne s s as a fu nc tion o f the

distance from the surface of the part.

T he to ta l th ickne s s o f s ur face hardeni ng dep th i s de term i ne d from the s tr uc tu re va ri ation ob s er ve d b y

m ic ro graph ic me tho d or b y me a s u ri ng hard ne s s vari ation .

C o mp o u nd l aye r th i ck ne s s is de te r m i ne d fro m the c he m ic a l c o mp o u nd l aye r o b s e r ve d by

microscopic method.
6 Apparatus
T he ha rd ne s s te s ti ng mach i ne for de term i n i ng Vickers ha rd ne s s s ha l l b e veri fie d and c a l ibrate d i n

accordance with ISO 6507-2.

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
3
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

B y agre ement b e twe en the p ar tie s concerne d, me as u rement o f the Kno op hard ne s s may b e used.

T he ha rd ne s s te s ti ng mach i ne for de term i n i ng Kno op hard ne s s s ha l l b e veri fie d and c a l ibrate d i n

accordance with I S O 45 45 -2 .

For meas uring the total thicknes s of s urface hardening dep th, it is recommended that a micros cop e that

ca n d i s play the ha rdene d layer as 1 /3 to 2/3 o f the view field shou ld b e u s e d (s e e I S O 14 63 ) .

7 Test specimen

7.1 Selection and preparation of samples

T he me as u rement sha l l b e made, u n le s s o ther wi s e s p e c ia l ly agre e d, on a c ro s s - s e c tion o f the p a r t i n the

fol lowi ng s p e ci fie d cond ition:

— a s ec tion p erp endicu lar to the longitudinal a xis of the pro duc t, or, if the pro duc t has no longitudinal

a xis , a sec tion p erp endicular to the s urface at a location to b e agreed b etween the p ar ties concerned;

For th i n h ardene d layers , the fol lowi ng s ample c an b e appl ie d b y agre ement b e twe en i ntere s te d p a r tie s .

NO TE B e c au s e s tep p e d te s t pie ce a nd ob l ique te s t pie ce m ay re s u lt i n a d i fferent o utcome fro m c ro s s - s e c tion

me as urements , us ing lower tes t force i nclud i ng m icrohard nes s tes t to cro s s- s e c tion me as urement i s a b etter

alternative (s ee I S O 6 5 0 7-1 , I S O 45 45 -1 and I S O 1457 7-1) .

— a tes t piece with s teps: T hese s tep s are preci s ion- ground from the s urface of the pro duc t to the

p oint where the s truc ture is that of the b as is metal, and are 0 ,0 5 mm or 0 ,10 mm thick. T he s tepp ed

te s t pie ce i s to b e u s e d when a l i m iti ng va lue for the th ickne s s o f the s ur face layer i s s p e ci fie d (s e e

Figure 1 and Figure A. 2 ) ;

— an oblique s ec tion (s ee Figure 2 ) .

Figure 1 — Stepped test piece

Key
l distance measured

e actual depth

NO TE e l
T he va lue s o f the d i s ta nce me a s u re d s hou ld b e adj u s te d b y the s lop e ( / ) .

Figure 2 — Oblique section

4
I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

7.2 Preparation of the surface to be examined

Cut s p e c i men s for prep aration with the gentle s t p o s s ible te ch n ique, u s i ng on ly lab orator y e qu ipment.

M ou nt s p e ci men s with a h igh- qua l ity re s i n de s igne d to provide e xcel lent e dge re tention . Gri nd a nd

polish using a proper sequence of abrasives to remove the damage from sectioning and grinding while
mai ntai n i ng e dge re tention . E xerc i s e c are to en s u re that the region o f i ntere s t i s no t a ltere d by the

s ample prep aration . T he lower the te s t lo ad i n hard ne s s te s ti ng , the h igher the prep aration qua l ity mu s t

be. After polishing, etch the specimen with an appropriate solution to determine if the preparation was
ade quate and to s e e i f there i s a mo d i fic ation to the s ur face . Rep e at one or more o f the fi na l prep a ration

s tep s , i f the qua l ity i s i nade quate . C are fu l ly cle an o ff a ny fi l m s or re s idue on the s u r face . D o no t touch the

s ur face with fi ngers . For m ic roi ndentation h ard ne s s te s ti ng , it i s re com mende d to te s t a n a s-p ol i s he d,

non-etched surface. For the micrographic method, use the appropriate etch to reveal and discriminate
between the different constituents present.
8 Method of measurement

8.1 Hardness testing method

Make hardness impressions along one or more parallel lines normal to the surface and within a band
of width, W, of 1,5 mm (see Figure 3). The distance between these lines shall meet the requirement of
ISO 6507-1.
T he d i s ta nce, Δ d, s ep a rati ng two adj acent i mpre s s ion s s ha l l b e no t le s s tha n th re e ti me s thei r d iagona l
(see Figure 3). The difference between the successive distances of each impression from the surface (e.g.
d2 – d1) shall not exceed 0,1 mm and the cumulative distances from the surface shall be measured to an
f
acc u rac y o f
± 2 5 μm . T he d iagona l s o the i mpre s s ion s ha l l b e me as u re d with the acc urac y s p e c i fie d i n

ISO 6507-2.
T he centre o f d1 , from the surface of at least 2,5 times its
the fi rs t i mpre s s ion s ha l l b e at a d i s tance,

diagonal.
Tests using Vickers or Knoop indents are performed at forces from 0,980 7 N to 9,807 N. Measurements
o f the i mpre s s ion s s ha l l b e made with a h igh qua l ity l ight op tic a l m icro s cop e a nd prop er i l lu m i nation,

with or without a c amera s ys tem (a nd p o s s ible by i mage a na lys i s) , at a h igh enough magn i fic ation s o

that the d i agona l s are b e twe en 2 5 % a nd 75 % o f the eyepie ce or s cre en width or height and the i ndent

tips can be focused without distortion.

NOTE Due to the spacing of indents shown in Figure 3 , te s t fo rce s o f 0 ,9 8 0 7 N to 2 ,9 42 N a re nor m a l l y u s e d

for this work.

Make the measurements on the prepared surface in two or more bands, the location of which shall be
agreed between the parties concerned, and for each band plot the results in order to obtain the curve
representing the variations in hardness as a function of distance from the surface.

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
5
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

Figure 3 — Position of hardness impressions

8.2 Microscopic methods

8.2.1 Total thickness of surface hardening depth (THD)

E xamine the s urface of the hardened p ar t with the s p ecimen etched with the b es t reagent for

d i s cri m i nation b e twe en the con s tituents pre s ent. S c an p ara l lel to the s u r face at low magn i fic ation

to ge t an overa l l i mpre s s ion o f the u n i form ity o f the to ta l th ickne s s o f s u r face h arden i ng l ayer. I f it i s

non-uniform, meas ure the dep ths to what app ears to b e the minimum and ma ximum total thicknes s of

s u r face layer. I f the to ta l th ickne s s o f s ur face ha rden i ng layer app e a rs to b e re a s onably u n i form, ma ke

at le as t fi ve me a s u rements o f the to ta l th ickne s s o f s u r face h arden i ng layer (s p ace d ap a r t from e ach

other) and determine the average dep th.

NO TE 1 For s ome s p e cimen s , it may b e p os s ible to vis ual ly es timate the lo cation where the micros truc ture is

5 0 % martensite and 5 0 % other cons tituents , s uch as ferrite, p earlite and/or bainite. I f so, measure the depth to

5 0 % mar ten s ite in at leas t five lo cation s (s p aced ap ar t from each other) and determine the average hardened dep th .

NO T E 2 M ic ro s tr uc tura l mea s u rement of the s urface harden i ng dep th, that i s , the dep th to s ome % of

ma r ten s ite (s uch a s 80 %) , m ay b e qu ite d i ffic u lt to do witho ut m a ki n g qu a ntitative me a s u rements o f the

m ic ro s tr uc tu re b y l i ne a l a n a l ys i s on l i ne s p a ra l lel to the s u r face at known dep th s .

8.2.2 Compound layer thickness (CLT)

T he comp ou nd layer th ickne s s s ha l l b e de term i ne d from a s a mple c ut p erp end ic u l ar to the s ur face

layer. When prep a ri ng the s ample for the me ta l lo graph ic eva luation, s p e c ia l c aution i s ne e de d to avoid

damagi ng the layer. T he layer c an b e pro te c te d du ri ng gri nd i ng a nd p ol i s h i ng , for e xa mple with a

me ch an ic a l s cre en or with a n ele c trolytic dep o s it.

T he de term i nation s hou ld b e c arrie d out at a magn i fic ation that d i s plays the layer a s 1 /3 to 2/3 o f the

view field .

It is recommended to make 10 meas urements within 5 mm b and and average (s ee Annex B) . [5 ]

6
I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

9 Evaluation of the results

9.1 Case hardening depth (CHD), surface hardening depth (SHD) and nitriding
hardness depth (NHD)
In accordance with the measuring method defined in 8.1, the distance from the surface of the test piece
to the layer/point which the hardness is equal to the limit hardness as defined in Clause 3. This distance
corresponds to the case hardening depth (CHD), surface hardening depth (SHD) or nitriding hardness
depth (NHD), respectively (see Figure 4).
I f the thickness o f the carburized case is specified, the case hardening depth can be determined using
the method specified in Annex A.
NOTE Measurement uncertainty analysis is use ful for identi fying major sources o f measuring results. A
paper for estimation o f the uncertainty o f nitriding hardness depth determination is available. [6]

Key
1 hardness profile X distance from the surface
2 hardness limit defined in Clause 3 Y hardness
D depth o f hardened layer defined in Clause 3

F i g u r e 4 — H a r d n e s s p r o fi l e f
o r d e t e r m i n i n g t h e h a r d e n i n g d e p t h

9.2 Total thickness of surface hardening depth (THD)

The average depth o f the total thickness o f sur face hardening layer shall be calculated from at least five
measurements.
9.3 Compound layer thickness (CLT)
The average depth of CLT shall be calculated from individual measurements. The number of
measurements shall be agreed between interested parties.

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
7
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

10 Test report
T he te s t rep or t s ha l l contai n at le as t the fol lowi ng i n formation u n le s s o ther wi s e agre e d b y the p ar tie s

concerned:

a) a reference to this do cument, i. e. I S O 182 03 : 2 016;

b) metho d of s urface hardening;

c) metho d of meas uring (hardnes s tes t method, tes t force, if micrographic metho d is appl ied, the

e tchant, magn i fic ation, s p aci ng b e twe en p ara l lel l i ne s , e tc .) ;

d) res ult of case hardening dep th (C H D) , s urface hardening dep th (SH D) , nitriding hardnes s dep th

(N H D) , to ta l th ickne s s o f s ur face h arden i ng dep th ( T H D) or comp ou nd layer th ickne s s (C LT ) , for

example:

1) C H D,

C H D = … mm (limiting hardnes s value is 5 5 0 H V )

C H D 6 0 0 H V1 = … m m ( l i m iti ng h ard ne s s va lue i s 6 0 0 H V, me a s u re d b y H V1)

C H D H K0 , 3 = … m m ( l i m iti ng ha rd ne s s va lue i s 5 5 0 H V, me a s ure d b y H K0 , 3 )

2) SH D,

SH D 45 0 = … mm (hardnes s limit is 45 0 H V )

S H D 45 0 H V1 = … m m ( hard ne s s l i m it i s 45 0 H V, me as u re d by H V1)

3) N H D,

N H D 4 0 0 H V0 , 3 = … m m (core ha rd ne s s i s 3 5 0 H V, me a s u re d b y H V0 , 3 )

N H D 3 0 0 H K = … m m (core h ard ne s s i s 2 5 0 H K, me a s ure d b y H K)

4) TH D,

TH D = … mm

5) C LT,

C LT = … μm

NO T E I n cer tai n c as es , C LT can b e zero .

e) s ample name , identi fic ation numb er, te s te d p o s ition, e tc . ;

f) any i nc idents o cc urri ng du ri ng me a s u rement.

8
I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

Annex A
(normative)
Interpolation method for determining the case hardening depth

A.1 General
I f the th ickne s s o f the c arburi ze d c a s e i s s p e ci fie d, the fol lowi ng i nter p olation me tho d may b e u s e d

to de term i ne the ca s e hardeni ng dep th . T his is p o s s ible b e c au s e the ha rd ne s s grad ient may be

approxi mately repre s ente d b y a s traight l i ne i n that tran s itiona l are a where the c as e h arden i ng dep th,

as defi ne d i n th i s do c ument, wou ld end .

A.2 Interpolation method for determining the case hardening depth

M a ke at le as t five i mpre s s ion s on a norma l cro s s - s e c tion o f the p ar t u nder te s t, at e ach o f the d i s tance s

d1 and d2 from the surface, distance d1 and d2 b ei ng re s p e c tively b elow a nd ab ove the va lue for the

Figure A.1). The value of d2

s p e ci fie d c a s e h arden i ng dep th (s e e − d1 shall not exceed 0,3 mm.

Figure A.1 — Position of hardness measurement points

T he c a s e ha rden i ng dep th i s given b y Formula (A.1):

( d2 − d1 ) ( H1 − 550 )
CHD = d1 + (A.1)
H1 − H2
where H1 , H 2 are the arithmetic means of the hardness values measured at distances d1 and d2
(see Figure A.2).

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
9
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

Key

H 1 arithmetic mean of the hardness values at distance d1

H 2 arithmetic mean of the hardness values at distance d2

X distance from the surface, expressed in mm
Y Vickers hardness or equivalent Knoop hardness, HV or HK

Figure A.2 — Interpolation method for determining the case hardening depth

NO TE W hen u s i n g the i nter p o l ation me tho d , it i s go o d prac tice to che ck the h a rd ne s s i m me d iatel y b elow the

s u r face . I f there i s e xce s s ive re ta i ne d au s ten ite i n the s ub s u r face c a s e , the h a rd ne s s i n th i s a re a m ay b e b elow the

critical level of 550 HV.

10
I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

Annex B
(informative)
Examples of CLT measurements

NOTE See Reference [5].

Figure B.1 — Examples of CLT measurements

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
11
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

Bibliography

[1] I S O 1463 , Metallic and oxide coatings — Measurement ofcoating thickness — Microscopical method

[2 ] I S O 48 8 5 , Ferrous products — Heat treatments — Vocabulary

[3 ] I S O 14577-1 , Metallic materials — Instrumented indentation test for hardness and materials

parameters — Part 1: Test method

[4] I S O 1 5787, Technical product documentation — Heat-treated ferrous parts — Presentation and
indications

[5 ] DI N 3 0 9 02 , Light-microscopical determination of the depth and porosity of the compound layer of

nitrided and nitro-carburized ferrous parts

[6] St. Stückl in, “S chätzung der Mes s uns icherheit b ei H är tetiefenb es timmungen”, P rakt. Met.

S onderb and 46 (2 014)

12
I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n
 ISO 18203:2016(E)

ICS  77.040.99
Price based on 12 pages
© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved
I n tern ati o n al Org an i z ati o n fo r S tan d ard i z ati o n