Engineering Materials Testing

Hardness Test Lab. Report

Name of Student/ID:
穆賢/K1006117
Testing Place:
Material Testing Lab
Testing Date:
2022/10/18
 I. INTRODUCTION

Hardness is one of the mechanical properties of a material. The hardness of

a material must be known, especially for materials that in use will experience

friction (frictional force), in this case the scientific field that plays an important

role in studying it is Engineering Materials Science (Metallurgy Engineering).

Hardness is defined as the ability of a material to withstand indentation or

penetration (compression) loads. In the engineering world, generally hardness

testing uses 4 types of hardness testing methods, namely:

1. Brinnel (HB / BHN)

2. Rockwell (HR/RHN)

3. Vikers (HV/VHN)

4. Micro Hardness (But rarely used-red)

The selection of each scale (test method) depends on:

a. Material surface

b. Material type and dimensions

c. Desired data type

d. Availability of test equipment

1. Brinell method

This method was first performed by Brinell in 1900. This method is in the

form of identifying a number of loads on the surface of the material with a

penetrator used in the form of a hardened steel ball with a diameter of 10 mm

and a standard load of 0.97 to 3000 kgf. Loading is done with a standard time,

usually 30 seconds.

The hardness given is the product of the compressive load by the surface area of

the indentation of the former pressing of the steel ball. Can be formulated with
 P
BHN=
( πD2 )( D−√ D −d )
2 2

where :

BHN = brinell hardness value

P = applied load (kg)

D = ball diameter (mm)

d = indentation diameter (mm)

Brinell Test Standard Table (ASTM 10)

Ball Diameter Load (kgf) Recommended Hardness Rate

(mm) (HB)

10 3000 96-600

10 1500 48-300

10 500 16-100

2. Rockwell Method

The Rockwell hardness test method is the method most often used to

measure hardness because this method is easy to practice and does not require

special skills. Several different scales can be used for the possible combinations

of different indenters and different loads. The indenter consists of a hardened

steel ball having diameters between 1/16, 1/8, , and in (1,588, 3,175, 6,350, and

12.70 mm), and a conical diamond press which is used for very heavy materials.

hard.

With this method, the hardness number can be determined through the

difference in depth from the compression result from the application of a minor

initial load and followed by a major load, the use of a minor load can increase

the accuracy of the test. Based on the magnitude of the load from minor and
major, there are two types of tests, namely Rockwell and Superficial Rockwell.

For Rockwell, the minor loads are 10kgf, where the major loads are 60, 100, and

150 kgf. Each scale is represented by the letters of the alphabet in the table. For

Superficial Rockwell, the minor loads are 3 kgf and the major loads are 15, 30,

and 45 kgf. This scale is identified with 15, 30, or 45 (based on load) followed

by N, T, W, X, or Y, depending on the stressor. Superficial testing is usually used

for thin specimens.

When determining Rockwell and Superficial hardness, the hardness number

and scale must be indicated. The scale is indicated by the HR symbol followed by

the appropriate scale designation. For example, 80 HRB indicates a Rockwell

hardness of 80 on a B scale and 60HR30W indicates a Superficial hardness of 60

on a 30W scale.

For each - the hardness scale can reach 130, but the hardness value increases

above 100 or decreases below 20 on any scale, they become inaccurate.

Inaccuracies can also be experienced if the specimen is too thin. The thickness of

the specimen should be at least 10 times the depth of compression.

Image of Rockwell Hardness Test Press Eye and Rockwell Testing Process

3. Vickers Method
This method is similar to the Brinell method but the penetrator used is in the
form of a diamond in the form of a pyramid with a square base and a peak angle
of 1360. The load used is usually 1 to 120 kg [6].
 Picture of How to Measure Diameter on Vickers Identer
d 1+ d 2
d=
2

P
HV =1 ,854
L2
where:
P = Defined load
L = Average diagonal length
4. Microhardness Test (Microhardness Tester)
This method uses the principle of indentation which is used to measure the
hardness of micro objects. The penetrator is a diamond with a long to short
diagonal ratio of about 7:1. The diamond is a rough diamond shaped like a
pyramid. Knoop hardness number (KHN) is the load divided by the projected
area of the indentation that will not return to its original shape.

The Knoop diamond-pyramid indenter image

The Knoop hardness number (KHN) is formulated as follows
(Dieter, Goerge . Mechanical Metallurgy)
P P
KHN= =
A LC
2

where

P = applied load (kg)

Ap = projected area of indentation that does not recover to its original shape

L = length of the longer diagonal

C = constant for each pounder

II. METHODOLODY
A. Hardness Brinell
EQUIPMENT:

 Compression machine

 10 mm steel ball- known as the indenter

 Microscope- Optical instrument to measure the diameter

 Finished surface of Steel

PROCEDURE:

Proceed with the steps below.

Step 1. Place the steel disc on the bottom plate. In order to not distort the

indentation upon pressure, ensure that there is a minimal contact between the

steel disc and the indenter.

Step 2. Adjust the pressure load to 10 x 103 N for Steel plate and apply the

load for 15 seconds.

Step 3. After 15 seconds has elapsed, lift the load and measure the indent

using the optical microscope. When measuring, dimensions will be in X and Y

direction, calculate its average to get its diameter. If while measuring, the

diameters are off by more than 0.1 mm, make a new indentation and do

another reading.

Step 4. Repeat three times – step 1 to 3, with the given load of steel and

aluminum. Ensure to properly space the indent to prevent error. Note the

measured diameter (x and y direction) and proceed with calculating the

following:

 Mean of diameter

 Brinell Hardness
 Depth of indentation

 Area of indentation

 Average Brinell number for steel

b. Rockwell Hardness Testing

• Firstly, the specimen was put on anvil in contact with the indenter.

• A minor load of 10 kg was applied and the dial is set to zero and then

major load is applied.

• Preliminary force (10kg for normal and 3kg for superficial testing) to a

penetration depth of h0 in the specimen to be tested.

• H0 refers to level for subsequent measurement of the residual indentation

depth(h).

• Automatically or manually zeroing the penetration measuring instrument

or dial indicator.

• After that, additional test force (60,100 or 150 kg for normal and 15, 30,

45kg for superficial testing) is applied for a dwell period (15seconds).

• Machine will show the Rockwell Hardness Number HR on the machine.

• Later on, gently remove the additional force while leaving in place with the

preliminary force so that the elastic deformation follow the removal of final

force is recovered.

• After that the depth of penetration was measured using the instrument.

• Furthermore, Rockwell hardness can be calculated using the residual

indentation depth (h) and a formula defined in the standard, taking account

of the applied Rockwell scale.

• Rockwell hardness testing is used to test hardness in the macro range test
 force within 49.03 newton (5kg) to 1471 newton (150kg).

• It is a differential-depth method which used the residual depth of

indentation left by the indenter is measure to determine the hardness value

of a test specimen.

• Indenter can be either diamond cone (cone angle of 120°) or a hard metal

ball (with various diameter depending on the method 1/16”,1/8” being

common).

III. RESULT AND ANALYSIS

a. Result Brinell Hardness

Test Result Data
 P D d Hardness
Ingredient
Kg mm mm Brinnel

Stainless-Steel 3000 10 4.5 179

From the data we can calculate with the formula :

P
BHN=
( πD2 ) ( D−√ D −d )2 2

3000
BHN=
( (3.14)(10)
2 )( 10− √10 −4.5 )2 2

3000
BHN=
( 15.7 ) ¿ ¿

3000
BHN=
( 15.7 ) (10−8.93)

3000
BHN=
( 15.7 ) (1.07)

3000
BHN=
16.80

BHN=178.5∨179

b. Rockwell Hardness
 Indenter Rockwell Rockwell Hardness
No Specimen Load Applied
type 1 scale Number

Mild Diamond Minor =10Kg

1 C Scale 73 HRC
Steel Cone Major = 150Kg

Result:
Rockwell hardness
number of a given
specimen is:
Mild Steel =
73HRC
Result:Rockwell hardness number of a given specimen is Mild Steel = 73HRC

Source of errors

• Impact of pressure - strength and hardness carbide ball is not enough, which

is prone to deform. Carbide ball is flattened and deform into oval permanently.

• Placement of the hardness is not correct

• Surface of the specimen contact badly with the table or support point is not

stable, which produce slippage, rolling, tilt and etc.

• Environment- vibration can impact the loading

• Human error - experience of the operator is not mature enough. Exert test

force is too fast, holding time is shirt and the load is too slow to maintain a long

time.

IV. DISCUSSION

After successfully conducting the Brinell Hardness test it is found that for

steel, it has a hardness of approximately 179. Many factors could have

challenged the results during the experiment, for example, mis- calibration of

the machine when replacing the discs, or the setting of the indenter. There is

also a possibility that a minor indent was already present, and it was not taken

into consideration when setting up the sample (Newage Hardness testing, n.d.).

When conducting hardness test, it is important to ensure proper spacing

from one indentation to another. Failure to do so will adversely influence the

results obtained. The proper spacing is judged from being three times the size

of the indentation diameter from the center of the indentations (Solution for
 material testing, 2021). However, it defers when considering the imprints from

the edge of the sample. According to Buehler, the safety line is drawn from 2.5

times the size of the diameter from the edge of the disc. Also, If the

indentations are too close to other indentations, the material sample is more

prone to breaking and faulty results.

Beside Brinell Hardness Test, there are three other types of test that can be

useful in different setting. Each test is made to gather indentation of a material

differently, for example, the Brinell Hardness Test is used when an indenter is

pushed with a given force onto a plate for a certain time (in seconds) then using

an optical measurement and Brinell’s equation, we solve for its hardness. The

other test also known as The Rockwell Hardness test is widely used when

testing material because it is easier to conduct and generally more accurate

data-wise. In such setting, it is used when the indentation mark is too large or

simply because the sample is bigger. On the other hand, the Knoop Hardness

test is used mainly for smaller sample, and for indents that are closer to the

edge. Similarly, an optical measurement is used to measure the indentation and

successively calculated using its respective equation. Finally, the fourth test is

Vickers hardness test. It is used in situation where the testing material is wider

than most materials.

For hard materials, diamond cone indenter with C scale

(blackgraduation) is used applying major load up to 150Kg.For soft materials,
ball (1/16) indenter with B scale (browngraduation) is used applying
major load up to 100Kg.
V. 3. How do you compare the hardness values of tested specimens with
values from reference
VI. sources or manufacturer’s data?
VII.
VIII. Hardness values of tested specimens and value from reference sources or
manufacturer’s
IX. data are different methods and scales cannot be made mathematically exact
for a wide range
X. of materials. Different loads, different shape of indenters, mechanical
properties of the
XI. specimen all complicate the problem. All tables and charts should be
considered as giving
XII. approximate equivalents, particularly when converting to a method or
scale which is not
XIII. physically possible for the particular test material and thus cannot be
verified. An example
XIV. would be converting HV/10 or HR-15N value on a thin coating to the
HRC equivalent.
XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII. 4. Why are the importances of hardness test in engineering practice?
XIX.
XX. - It is a measure of a material’s resistance to localized plastic
deformation.
XXI. - It is based on natural materials with a scale constructed
solely on the ability of one
XXII. material to scratch another that was softer.
XXIII. - The precise and exactness of a hardness test require following
strict hardness protocol
XXIV. and adherence to standards.
 V. CONCLUSION

This experiment was a complete success as accurate enough results were

obtained although results were accurate .It can be seen from readings which are

obtained in this experiment using two techniques rockwell and brinell hardness testing

that the expected values and the obtained values were very much similar and there

were very small difference which could be attributed to experimental errors as

mentioned above such as the human error in reading the values or Environment-

vibration which can cause error in the results. To myself after taking part in this

experiment I learned a lot about hardness testing, with the help of rockwell and brinell

hardness test, that how we can measure the hardness of each different type of material

and how both type of method measured the hardness but using different kind tools.
REFERENCES
[1]
W. D. Callister and D. G.
Rethwisch, Materials
Science and Engineering:
An Introduction, 9
ed., 2016.
[2]
ChefSteps, "Deep Freezing
Makes Things Brittle," 1
1 2019. [Online].
Available:
https://
www.chefsteps.com/
activities/deep-freezing-
makes-things-brittle.
[Accessed 29 10
2019].
[3]
University of Texas at
Tyler, "Lab: Impact
Testing," 2019.
REFERENCES

1) https://www.mee-inc.com/hamm/rockwell-hardness-testing/

2) Cheng Shiu University, "Lab: Material Testing," 2022.