Experiment 1: Brinell Hardeness Test

Report done by
Aumar Al-Meshhadany
40102507

For
ENGR 244(DI-X)

Course given by
Dr. Ehab Ahmed

Concordia University
1/30/2021
Contents
Objective ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 3
Procedure ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Calculations ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Results & Tables ..................................................................................................................................... 5
Discussion ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 8
References............................................................................................................................................... 9
Objective

The objective for this experiment is pretty simple. It consists of testing the resistance of
two metals (steel and aluminum) under different conditions.

Introduction

The Brinell hardness test is defined in ASTM E10 and is used commonly to test materials
that cannot be tested with other methods. It is not a good idea to use materials that are too hard
and that exceeds a HB over 627 since the ball itself will deform. The Brinell hardness test
consists mostly of applying a known and chosen force to a fixed material of a known diameter
under a chosen time, and then removed. A Brinell microscope is used then to determine the
diameters (x-axis and y-axis) of the impression on the material due to the load applied onto it. It
will be preferable if the diameter of impression ranges between 2.5mm to 6.00mm. Although
there is a chart that is used to quickly evaluate the Brinell hardness number, depending on the
average diameter, we can also calculate it. These next formulas will be useful in the calculation
later on.

𝟏. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 "t" 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒎:

𝐷 − √𝐷2 − 𝑑 2
𝑡= ;
2

𝐷 = 𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 [𝑚𝑚];

𝑑 = 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝐻𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛)[𝑚𝑚]

𝟐. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 (𝑨):

𝐴 =𝜋∗𝐷∗𝑡

𝟑. 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 (𝑯𝑩):

 𝑃
𝐻𝐵 =
𝐴

[𝑁 ]
𝑃 = 𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 [𝐾𝑔] 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑
9.81𝑚
𝑠2

𝐴 = 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 [𝑚𝑚2 ]

Procedure

Simply put the sample on the lower adapter by also making sure the ball will not be too
close to the edge of the sample once it has contact with it. By doing so, we reduce chances of
having unsymmetrical indentation. Once this is done, apply the appropriate load depending on
the material used for 15 seconds. After that, measure the impression diameter to the nearest
0.1mm. If two diameters differ by more than 0.1mm, then the indentation has to be redone. This
whole procedure has to be done three times in total.

Calculations

* All calculations are done for the first trial only as the rest of the trials follow the
same procedure of calculation*

1. Determine the depth of indentation of each metal:

3.7 + 3.6 2
𝐷 − √𝐷2 − 𝑑 2 10 − √10 − (
2 )
2
𝑡𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = = = 0.345𝑚𝑚
2 2

3.6 + 3.5 2
𝐷 − √𝐷2 − 𝑑 2 10 − √10 − (
2 )
2
𝑡𝐴𝑙𝑢𝑚.𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = = = 0.326𝑚𝑚
2 2
2. Determine the area of indentation of each metal:
 9
𝐴𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = 𝜋 ∗ 𝐷 ∗ 𝑡𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = 𝜋 ∗ 10 ∗ 0.345 = 3 𝜋 𝑚𝑚2
20
≈ 10.838𝑚𝑚2

13
𝐴𝐴𝑙𝑢𝑚.𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = 𝜋 ∗ 𝐷 ∗ 𝑡𝐴𝑙𝑢𝑚.𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = 𝜋 ∗ 10 ∗ 0.326 = 3 𝜋 𝑚𝑚2
50
≈ 10.242𝑚𝑚2

3. Determine the Brinell Hardness:

10070
𝑃1
𝐻𝐵𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = = 9.81 = 94.71
𝐴1 10.838

5089
𝑃1
𝐻𝐵𝐴𝑙𝑢𝑚.𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = = 9.81 = 50.65
𝐴1 10.242

Results & Tables

Table 1: Mean Diameter of Impression for Each Trial of Each Metal according to the load
applied.

Steel Ball Impression Impression Average Average

Diameter Diameter Diameter of all
Metal Trial
Load (x) (y) Diameter Trial
[mm] [N] [mm] [mm] [mm] [mm]
1 10070 3.7 3.6 3.65
Steel 2 10 10062 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.63
3 10003 3.7 3.6 3.65
1 5089 3.6 3.5 3.55
Aluminum 2 10 5037 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.55
3 5016 3.6 3.6 3.6
Table 2: Depth of Indentation, Area of Indentation and Brinell Hardness of Each Metal for Each
Trial.

Depth of Area of Brinell Average

Metal
Trial indentation indentation Hardness Brinell hardness
t [mm] Number Number
1 0.345 10.837 95
Steel 2 0.335 10.532 97 95
3 0.345 10.837 94
1 0.326 10.231 51
Aluminum 2 0.316 9.935 52 50
3 0.335 10.532 49

Discussion

After calculations, we found an average of 95 and 50 as the average Brinell hardness

number of the steel and the aluminum. According to publications, mild steel has a BHN (Brinell
Hardness Number) of 130 and 6061 aluminum has a BHN of 95. In both cases, our results are
too low. But as shown in the given experiment description, mild steel BHN can vary from 48 to
300. Therefore, our result for the mild steel cannot be considered as wrong since it still in the
range. As for the aluminum, the difference in BHN can be explained simply by the difference of
parameter. Indeed, as mentioned before, the load used was of 5000N for the aluminum. But in
the published values, they used a 500gf load, which is the equivalent of 4.9N. Consequently, our
BHN cannot equal the one found on published values.

In engineering, hardness tests are important because they’re used to evaluate the
material’s strength, ductility and wear resistance. These tests eventually help us determine which
material is the most suitable for the required purpose.

There are many other hardness tests out there. For example, the Rockwell hardness test.
This test is mainly used for metallic materials and is calculated by measuring the depth of an
indent after an indenter has been force into the specimen. Another example is the Vickers
hardness test. This test can be used on all solid materials and is suitable for a wide range of
applications. It is calculated by measuring the diagonal lengths of an indent in the sample
material left by introducing a diamond pyramid indenter. Another hardness test known and used
is the Knoop hardness test.

If an indentation is made too close to the edge of the specimen it could cause an
unsymmetrical indentation and material failure. Indeed, when the load will crush into the
specimen, if the ball is too close to the edge, the indentation part that is the closest to the edge
will slowly moves toward the edge since the matter is being pushed outward by the load. This
phenomenon is shown in Figure 1. If indentations were made too close to each other it can cause
a fracture in the material between the two indentations because of the opposite inside forces
pushing on each other. This phenomenon is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1: Indentation on the edge

Figure 2: Fracture caused by indentations too close to each other

Other sources of errors can be a machine malfunctioning and damaged material. If the
machine malfunctions while applying a load into the specimen, even for a split second, it could
falsify the data. If the material used is already damage, even microscopically, it could give us
false data. Although those sources of error could be controlled, they still potential errors. But if
we consider the experiment is done under ideal conditions, then the possible source of error is
the reaction of the specimen under the pressure of a load. Indeed, we can estimate the reaction of
the material under a force, but the natural positioning of the atoms of the specimen cannot be
controlled. Therefore, it is still possible, that under a load, the specimen reacts strangely and
gives us bad data. This is why it’s important to make many trials so we can remove the data that
are too far off from the other ones.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the experiment was made to familiar us with the Brinell hardness test by
testing the resistance of two metals: steel and aluminum. We found 95 and 50 as BHN (Brinell
hardness number) for the steel and aluminum respectively. Although the BHN of the steel is low,
it’s still in the range given in the laboratory report manual. As for the BHN of the aluminum, it’s
not even close to the published value due simply to the difference in the use of the load. In our
experiment, we used 5000N, which is 509.86kgf, where in the published value, they used only
0.5kgf. Consequently, our values differ but the objective has still been achieved.
 References

- ENGR 244 – Mechanic of Materials – ONLINE LABORATORY - Experiment 1: Brinell

Hardness Test – DATA SHEET – Lab Section: DI, FI & LI (January 20 2021).
- ENGR 244 – Mechanic of Materials – ONLINE LABORATORY – Experiment 1:
Brinelll Hardness Test – Experiment Description.
- Brinell Hardness Test. Retrieved January 30 2021, from
https://www.hardnesstesters.com/test-types/brinell-hardness-testing
- ASM Aerospace Specification Metals Inc. Retrieved January 30 2021, from
http://asm.matweb.com/search/SpecificMaterial.asp?bassnum=MA6061T6
- The Engineering ToolBox. Retrieved January 30 2021, from
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/bhn-brinell-hardness-number-d_1365.html
- Hardness Testing. Retrieved January 30 2021, from
https://www.struers.com/en/Knowledge/Hardness-testing#hardness-testing-about
-