Experiment 3 Rockwell

Hardness Test

Objective(s):

To understand the working procedures of Rockwell Hardness Tester

Introduction:
Hardness is the property of a material that enables it to resist plastic deformation, usually
by penetration. However, the term hardness may also refer to resistance to bending,
scratching, abrasion or cutting.

Hardness is not an intrinsic material property dictated by precise definitions in terms of

fundamental units of mass, length and time. A hardness property value is the result of a
defined measurement procedure.

The usual method to achieve a hardness value is to measure the depth or area of an
indentation left by an indenter of a specific shape, with a specific force applied for a specific
time. There are three principal standard test methods for expressing the relationship
between hardness and the size of the impression, these being Brinell, Vickers, and
Rockwell. For practical and calibration reasons, each of these methods is divided into a
range of scales, defined by a combination of applied load and indenter geometry.

Current practice divides hardness testing into two categories: macro-hardness and
microhardness. Macro-hardness refers to testing with applied loads on the indenter of
more than
1 kg and covers, for example, the testing of tools, dies, and sheet material in the heavier
gages. In micro-hardness testing, applied loads are 1 kg and below, and material being
tested is very thin (down to 0.0125 mm, or 0.0005 in.). Applications include extremely
small parts, thin superficially hardened parts, plated surfaces, and individual constituents
of materials.

1) Macro Hardness Testers Loads > 1 kg

• Rockwell

• Brinell

• Vickers

2) Micro Hardness Testers < 1 kg

• Knoop diamond •

Vickers diamond pyramid

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.

HR = E – e

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

Principle of Rockwell Testing

Rockwell Hardness Scale:

Typical Application of Rockwell Hardness Scales:

HRA . . . . Cemented carbides, thin steel and shallow case hardened steel

HRB . . . . Copper alloys, soft steels, aluminum alloys, malleable irons, etc.

HRC . . . . Steel, hard cast irons, case hardened steel and other materials harder than 100

HRB

HRD . . . . Thin steel and medium case hardened steel and pearlitic malleable iron

HRE . . . . Cast iron, aluminum and magnesium alloys, bearing metals

HRF . . . . Annealed copper alloys, thin soft sheet metals

HRG . . . . Phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, malleable irons HRH . . . . Aluminum, zinc, lead

HRK . . . . }

HRL . . . . }

HRM . . . .} . . . . Soft bearing metals, plastics and other very soft materials

HRP . . . . }

HRR . . . . }

HRS . . . . }

HRV . . . . }
 WORKSHEET – EXPERIMENT 3

Rockwell Hardness Test

Name: Date: 27 September ,2022

1. Hussain Mahmood Khan
2. Umar Saleem
3. Farah Kabir
4. Ahmar Rasheed
5. Waleed
6. Salahuddin
7. Arooj Fatima
8. Hamza Hassan
9. Zakiullah
Registration #: Group: 3

Materials:
• Brass
Equipment:

• Rockwell hardness testing machine

• indenter

Procedure:

• With a hardened steel ball indenter, the test material is indented to determine its Ro
ckwell hardness.
• First, set the object to be tested on Alvin in the hardness tester.
• When the body reaches the indenter, turn the rotatory wheel counterclockwise.
• To avoid any error, turn the dial such that the large needle on the dial is pointing at z
ero.
• The testing material will next be subjected to two loads.
• Under a low load, the indenter is forced into the material.
• After applying a minor load, a significant load of 90 kgf would be applied to increase
the penetration of the material.
• Major load will be applied for 10 sec, followed by 5 sec of minor load.
• Note the dial readings at the conclusion.
• Get at least three readings.
Results and observations:

Sample 1

Applied
10
Load (Minor)

Applied
90
Load (Major)

Sample Average

Reading 1 Reading 2 Reading 3 (Rockwell

Hardness
(Rockwell (Rockwell (Rockwell
Number)
Hardness Hardness Hardness
Number) Number) Number)

Brass 16.4 16.3 16.5 16.3

Q1. Define hardness and describe its significance?

Hardness is the resistance of the material to localized plastic deformation. Different

applications require different level of hardness so measurement of hardness is important
part of an industry. Hardness is important from an engineering point of view because
resistance to wear by either friction or erosion generally increases with hardness.

Q2. Describe the principle of Rockwell hardness test?

Rockwell hardness test is used to measure localized hardness. In this test an indenter
indents into the material surface and using the indent depth, hardness is measured. There
are different standard present with the shape of indenter and amounts of major loads.
Q3. Why are there major and minor loads in Rockwell test?

Minor load, which is fixed, is used to mark the area of indent for smooth indent. The major
load, which can be varied, is used to measure hardness.

Conclusions:
We learned about working principle of Rockwell hardness testing machine. As
a result, hardness is among the most essential components since it allows you
to evaluate a material's characteristics like strength and ductility. Thus, this
allows us to use higher-quality materials in daily life in industries like the
automobile sector.