Designatio

Designation:
n: G 171 – 03

Standard Test Method for

Scratch Hardness of Materials Using a Diamond Stylus1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation G 171; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
ript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
superscript
supersc

1. Sco
Scope
pe where:
1.1 This standard describes laboratory
laboratory procedures for deter-
deter- HSP = scratch hardness
scratch hardness numb
number,er,
mining the scratch hardness of the surfaces of solid materials. k = a geom
geometri
etrical
cal const
constant,
ant,
Within certain limitations, as described in this guide, this test P = applied
applied norma
normall force
force,, and
method is applicable to metals, ceramics, polymers, and coated w = scratch width
scratch width..
surfaces. The scratch hardness test, as described herein, is not NOTE  1—The constant kmay be chosen to include conversion factors
intended to be used as a means to determine coating adhesion, for expressingHSPin units of GPa. ForHSPin GPa,P in grams-force, and
norr is it in
no inte
tend
nded
ed fo forr ususee wi
with
th otothe
herr ththan
an sp
spec
ecifi
ificc w in µm, k= 24.98.
hemispherically-tipped, conical styli. 3.2.2  scratching force , n—the force that opposes relative relative
1.2  This standard may involve hazardous materials, opera- motion between a moving stylus and the surface that is being
tions
tions,, and equequipm
ipment
ent.. Thi
Thiss sta
standa
ndard
rd doe
doess not purpurpor
portt to scratc
scratched
hed by thathatt sty
stylus
lus,, and whi
whichch is per
perpen
pendic
dicula
ularr to the
address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its normal force exerted by the stylus.
use.. It is the respon
use responsib
sibili
ility
ty of the user of thi thiss sta
standa
ndard
rd to 3.2.3  stylus
stylus drag coefcoeffı cient, n—in scr
fıcient scratc
atch
h tes
testin
tingg , th
thee
establis
esta blishh appr
appropria
opriate
te safe
safety
ty and healt
health
h pract
practices
ices and dete
deter-
r- dimensionless ratio of the scratching force to the normal force
mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. applied to the stylus; namely,
2. Referenced Documents Fscr
Dsc5
P
2.1  ASTM Standards:
E 177 Pract
Practice
ice for Use of the Terms
Terms Precision
Precision and Bias as where:
Applied to Measurement of a Property of a Material 2 Dsc = stylus drag coef
coeffic
ficient,
ient,
E 178 Pract
Practice
ice for Deali
Dealing
ng with Outlying
Outlying Obser
Observati ons 2
vations Fscr = scrat
scratching
ching forc
force,
e, and
and
G 40 Te rminology Relating to Wear and Erosion 3
Terminology P = normal force.
force.
G 117
117 Gui
Guide
de for Cal
Calcul
culati
ating
ng and Rep
Report
orting
ing Mea
Measur
sures
es of
4. Summ
Summary
ary of Test
Test Method
Precision Using Data from Interlaboratory Wear or Ero-
sion Tests3 4.1 This test involves
involves producing
producing a scra
scratch
tch in a soli
solid
d surface
by mov
moving
ing a dia
diamon
mond d sty
stylus
lus of spe
specifi
cified
ed geo
geomet
metry
ry alo
along
ng a
3. Terminology spec
specifi
ified
ed pa
path
th un
unde
derr a cocons
nsta
tant
nt no
norm
rmal
al fo
forc
rcee an
andd wi
with
th a
3.1  Definitions—For definitions of terms applicable to this constant speed. The average width of the scratch is measured,
standard see Terminology G 40. and that value is used to compute the scratch hardness number
3.2  Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard: in units of pressure.
3.2.1  scratch hardness number, n —a quantity, expressed in 4.2 As an optoption
ion,, the scratch
scratching
ing force may be mea measur
sured
ed
units of force per unit area, that characterizes the resistance of during this test and used to compute a stylus drag coefficient,
a solid surface to penetration by a moving stylus of given tip which is a dimensionless measure of the resistance of the test
radius under a constant normal force and speed; namely, surface to deformation by a tangentially-moving stylus.
kP
4.3 This test is usual
usually
ly conducted
conducted unde
underr unlub
unlubrica
ricated
ted con-
HSP 5 2 ditions
ditions and at room temperature
temperature;; howev
however,
er, it is possible to
w
conduct scratch hardness tests under lubricated and elevated
temperature conditions. The provisions of this standard allow
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee G02 on Wear testing under both conditions provided that requirements for
and Erosion and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee G02.30 on Abrasive valid
val id scr
scratc
atch
h har
hardne
dnessss tes
testin
ting
g are met and tha thatt the tes
testin
ting
g
Wear. conditions are fully reported.
Current edition approved Jan. 10, 2003. Published April 2003.
2
Standardss , Vol 14.02.
Annual Book of ASTM Standard
3
Standardss , Vol 03.02.
Annual Book of ASTM Standard

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 G 171 – 03
4.4 Effects of moisture in the air and other ambient atmo- NOTE 2—The smaller the tip radius, the higher the contact stress under
spheric conditions may affect results depending on the sensi- a given normal force. If a tip radius other than that indicated here is used,
results shall indicate that a modified version of the standard was used, and
tivity of the test material to the environment. If such effects are
the size of the tip radius shall be reported (see also 10.1.1).
either expected or observed during the course of testing,
precautions to control the surrounding atmosphere and to 6.1.2  Apparatus—A means to traverse the specimen under
document the relative humidity level should be taken and the stylus, or the stylus across the specimen, under constant
reported. speed and normal force, shall be provided. Fixtures shall be
sufficiently rigid to withstand the normal, lateral, and tangential
5. Significance and Use forces associated with the scratching process without undue
elastic or plastic deflection. The path of the stylus may be in a
5.1 This test method is intended to measure the resistance of
straight line or an arc, as produced using a rotating table-type
solid surfaces to permanent deformation under the action of a
device.
single point (stylus tip). It is a companion method to quasi-
6.1.3  Scratch Width Measurement System —A means for
static hardness tests in which a stylus is pressed into a surface
measuring the width of the scratch shall be provided. This can
under a certain normal load and the resultant depth or impres-
consist of any imaging system that is capable of magnifying the
sion size is used to compute a hardness number. Scratch
scratch such that its width can be accurately determined. The
hardness numbers, unlike quasi-static hardness numbers, in-
measuring system shall be capable of measuring the width of
volve a different combination of properties of the surface
the scratch to a precision of at least 2 %. For example, the
because the indenter, in this case a diamond stylus, moves
required resolution for a measuring optical microscope needed
tangentially along the surface. Therefore, the stress state under
for an average 50 µm-wide scratch shall be (0.02 3 50 µm) =
the scratching stylus differs from that produced under a
1.0 µm or better. Reflecting-type, optical microscopes using
quasi-static indenter. Scratch hardness numbers are in principle
monochromatic illumination or interference-contrast and hav-
a more appropriate measure of the damage resistance of a
ing a measuring eyepiece are suitable for scratch measurement.
material to surface damage processes like two-body abrasion
Alternatively, photographic or video images may be used as
than are quasi-static hardness numbers.
long as the magnifications are properly calibrated.
5.2 This test method is applicable to a wide range of
6.1.4  Scratching Force (Optional) —A load cell or similar
materials. These include metals, alloys, and some polymers.
force-sensing device can be used to measure the scratching
The main criteria are that the scratching process produces a
forces generated during sliding. This standard does not specify
measurable scratch in the surface being tested without causing
a method for measuring the scratching force, only that the
catastrophic fracture, spallation, or extensive delamination of
sensor shall be capable of being calibrated in the direction of
surface material. Severe damage to the test surface, such that
the scratching force and in line with the contact point between
the scratch width is not clearly identifiable or that the edges of
the stylus and surface.
the scratch are chipped or distorted, invalidates the use of this
test method to determine a scratch hardness number. Since the 7. Calibration
degree and type of surface damage in a material may vary with
7.1 The parts of the apparatus that require calibration are ( 1)
applied load, the applicability of this test to certain classes of
the normal force application system, ( 2) stylus traverse speed,
materials may be limited by the maximum load at which valid
and optionally ( 3) the scratching force sensor.
scratch width measurements can be made.
7.2 Loading System —The normal force applied to the stylus
5.3 The resistance of a material to abrasion by a single point
while it is traversing the surface shall be calibrated in such a
may be affected by its sensitivity to the strain rate of the
way that the normal force is known to within 1 %. For
deformation process. Therefore, this test is conducted under
example, a normal force of 1 N shall be applied to within an
low stylus traversing speeds. Use of a slow scratching speed
accuracy of6 0.01 N. The means to calibrate the scratch tester
also minimizes the possible effects of frictional heating.
shall be determined by its individual design; however, the
5.4 This test uses measurements of the residual scratch
method of normal force calibration shall be stated in the report.
width after the stylus has been removed to compute the scratch
hardness number. Therefore, it reflects the permanent deforma- NOTE  3—One method to calibrate the normal force on the stylus is to
tion resulting from scratching and not the instantaneous state of use a quasi-static system such as a button-type load cell placed under the
stylus tip in the position where the test specimen is located.
combined elastic and plastic deformation of the surface.
7.3  Stylus Traverse Speed—The speed of the stylus across
6. Apparatus the surface s may be calibrated in any suitable manner such as
timing the period t required to produce a scratch of length L.
6.1  General Description —The apparatus consists of ( 1) the
Thus:
rigid stylus mount and specimen holding fixture, ( 2) a means to
apply a normal force while traversing the stylus along the L
s5 (1)
surface at constant speed, and ( 3) a means to measure the width t
of the scratch. Optionally, the apparatus can be equipped with 7.4 Scratching Force Sensor (Optional) —The scratching
a sensor to detect the magnitude of the scratching force. force sensor shall be calibrated periodically in the direction of
6.1.1  Stylus—The stylus shall be conical of apex angle 120 the scratching force, and as closely as possible in line with the
6 5°, and the cone shall terminate in a hemispherical tip of 200 point of contact between the stylus and specimen. The interval
µm ( 6 10 µm) radius. The material of the tip shall be diamond. between calibrations shall be determined by the user to ensure

2
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 G 171 – 03
accurate readings of scratching f orce and compensate f or any N OTE 4— Oi l y resi dues on the styl us can l ubri cate the surf ace, reduce
electronic signal drift. the scratch wi dth, and i ncrease the apparent scratch hardness number.
Chi pped styl i can i ncrease the scratchi ng f orce and produce stri ae that
8. Pr ocedure extend al ong the enti re bottom of the scratch.

8.1 Speci men Pr epar ati on— The test speci men shall be
prepared i n such a w ay as to represent the appl i cation of
interest or polished to facilitate observation and measurement
of scratch w i dth. A surf ace may be unsui table f or scratch
testing if its roughness or porosity is such that the edges of the
scratch are indistinct or jagged, or if the stylus cannot traverse
the surface without skipping along it or catching in a pocket. In
a polished condition, the surf ace should be as f ree as possibl e
f rom preparation artif acts such as gri nding-induced cracks,
gross grinding marks, and grain pull-out. Surface roughnesses
of 0.02 to 0.05 µm R a (arithmetic average roughness) are typical
of poli shed surf aces. Surf aces may be scratch tested i n the
as-fabricated condition as long as the characteristics of the
scratch do not display the types of artif acts descri bed i n this
paragraph.
8.2 Speci men Cl eani ng— Since many di ff erent ki nds of
materials can be scratch tested, one specifi c cleaning treatment
cannot be given. Specimens shall be cleaned in such a way that
the surf ace i s f ree f rom grit, grease, fi ngerpri nts, or other
contaminants. M etal s and alloys may be cleaned in non-polar
solvents. Plastics may require al ternative cleaning with eye-
glass cl eaner or similar. I f contact with solvents or cleaners
could result in changes to their properties, surf aces may be
tested as-received. The method of cleaning, if any, shall be
described in the report.
8.3 I nspecti on of the Styl us — I nspect the stylus tip with a
microscope or other topographic inspection method to ensure
that there are no defects (cracks, chips), w ear or adhering
material left from manufacturing or resulting from a previous
test. Wiping the stylus with a soft cloth moistened with acetone
or other cleaning solvent is usually suitable.
8.4 Nor mal For ce— The normal force shall be selected so as
to produce a measurable groove in the surf ace, but i t shall not
be so large as to cause fracture, spalling, delamination, or other
form of gross surface damage. A series of scratches at different
normal f orces may be used to assess the resistance of the test
material to i ncreasing localized stresses. The selection of a
normal f orce(s) f or scratch testi ng of coati ngs i s f urther
discussed in 12.5.
8.5 Str oke Length and Shape— The stroke length shall be at
least 5 mm. Strokes need not be linear, but may be in the shape
of an arc, as in the case of turntable-type scratching apparatus.
8.6 Scr atching Speed — The scratching speed shall be con-
stant al ong the measured portion of the scratch, and i n the
range of 0.2 to 5.0 mm s- 1 .
8.7 Conducti ng the Test— Ensure that the i nstrument i s
leveled and that the stylus is normal to the test surf ace whil e
scratching. L ower the stylus to apply the load on the specimen
surface gently to avoid impact damage. A ctivate the traversing
drive to produce the scratch of desired length. Raise the stylus
off of the surface. Select another location at least 5 scratch
widths away f rom the previous scratch and produce another
scratch parallel to the fi rst. Repeat as necessary, but with a
minimum of three (3) scratches per value of the normal force.
M easure the scratch wi dth as described in 8.8.
8.8 Scr atch Width M easur ement — Using a measuring mi-
croscope or other calibrated magnif ying or surf ace profi ling
system, measure the width of each scratch at three locations
spaced approximately equally along the length of the scratch.
The w i dth of the scratch shal l be determi ned opti cal l y, as
shown by the examples in Fig. 1. Owing to acceleration and

N OTE— The mi croscope fi ne f ocus control can be used to i denti f y the edges of a track di spl ayi ng refl ecti ons and shadows (l ef t). The wi dth of scratches
i n a pol y-grai ned metal can be esti mated by pl aci ng the cursor l i nes through the apparent centers of the rough edges (center). Scratches on machi ned
surf aces or hard materi al s may be di sconti nuous. Such arti f acts cannot be used to obtai n a val i d scratch hardness number (ri ght).
FIG. 1 Illustration of Identifying the Widths of Scratches in Different K inds of Materials

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deceleration eff ects, scratch widths should not be measured
near the ends of the scratch.
N OTE 5— Other methods, such as surface profi ling, may produce values
di ff erent f rom opti cal measurements. Therefore, to i mprove consi stency,
wi dths shoul d be measured on enl arged i mages.
8.8.1 Speci al C onsi derati ons i n O pt ical Scr at ch
M easur ement — The characteristics of the surfaces being tested,
such as their roughness, color, degree of light diffusion, extent
of plastic deformation, and refl ectivity, will all affect the ease
or difficulty in precisely locating scratch edges. I n general,
fi ner scratches present more difficulties in width measurement
than wider scratches (see also 11.2). It may be necessary to use
special lighting methods, such as oblique illumination, polar-
ized light, or diff erential inf erence contrast microscopy to
provi de suffi cient contrast to measure the scratch w i dths
optically. Report the use of special lighting methods, when
applicable.
9. Cal cul at ions
9.1 Scr atch Har dness Number — The scratch hardness num-
ber is calculated by dividing the applied normal f orce on the
stylus by the projected area of scratching contact, assuming
that the hemispherically-tipped stylus produces a groove whose
leading surface has a radius of curvature r , the tip radius of the
stylus. The projected area of the contact surf ace is theref ore a
semi-circle whose diameter is the fi nal scratch width, as shown
in Fig. 2. Theref ore,
8P
HSP 5
p w2
where:
HSP = scratch hardness number, Pa,
P = normal f orce, N , and
w = scratch width, m.
I f the normal f orce on the stylus is applied by means of a
dead-weight of m grams directly above it, and the scratch width
x i s i n uni ts of µm, then Eq 2, w hi ch provi des the scratch
hardness number in GPa, becomes:
m
HSP 5 24.98
x2
Si nce the state of stress at the styl us ti p i s a f uncti on of
contact geometry and appl i ed f orce, the magni tude of the
scratch hardness number is dependent upon both the stylus tip
N OTE— The contact of the styl us i s assumed to produce a semi -ci rcul ar proj ected area when vi ewed f rom the top.
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G 171 – 03
radi us and the normal load. Since the tip radius prescribed in
this standard is established, it need not be reported separately;
however, P should be reported with HSP.
N OTE 6— A t certai n cri ti cal val ues of contact stress, the def ormati on
and f racture behavior of certai n material s may undergo a transi ti on,
l eadi ng to a change i n both the morphol ogy of the scratch and the scratch
hardness number. For example, the HSP for bulk polymethylmethacrylate
and f or pol yamine coati ngs on steel have been observed to exhi bi t a
decrease wi th i ncreasi ng normal f orce. Thus, i t i s i mportant to compare
HSP f or di f f erent materi al s onl y under the same normal f orces and ti p
radius.
9.2 Styl us D r ag Coeffıci ent— The stylus drag coefficient
(D sc) is the di mensionless ratio of the scratching f orce to the
normal force, calculated as follows:
F scr
D sc 5 (4)
P
where:
D sc = stylus drag coefficient,
F scr = average scratchi ng f orce al ong the l ength of the
scratch, N, and
P = normal f orce on the stylus, N.
N OTE 7— D sc i s si mi l ar i n defi ni ti on to, but not the same as, the ki neti c
friction coefficient. D sc speci fi cal l y ref ers to the resi stance of f ered by the
test surf ace to the di spl acement of materi al ahead of a traversi ng, hard
styl us of control l ed shape. Theref ore, i t i s not i n general equal to the
friction coefficient for diamond, the typical stylus material, sliding against
the test speci men materi al .
10. Report
(2)
10.1 Report the f ol lowing:
10.1.1 Char acter ization of the Stylus — Report the tip radius
in µm if other than 200 6 10 µm. I f other than 200 6 10 µm,
the report shall indicate that the scratch hardness numbers were
obtained under non-standard conditions, and results should not
be compared with those obtained using a 200 6 10 µm stylus
tip radius.
10.1.2 Test Specimens— Provide inf ormation sufficient to
establish the source, chemical composition, processing history,
surface treatment, and surface roughness of the test specimen
(3) surf ace. Commerci al desi gnations f or materi als shoul d be
given, if applicable. In the case of coated surfaces, indicate the
thickness of the coating.
10.1.3 Test Condi tions and M ethod of M easurement —
Report the normal f orce(s) used (N), scratching speed (mm
FIG. 2
 G 171 – 03
s- 1 ), and stroke length (mm). A lso describe the type of scratch
tester used, including any commercial model numbers, and the
method used to measure the scratch width.
10.1.4 Scr atch H ardness Number — Report the average
scratch hardness number, in GPa , obtained from a minimum of
three scratches per speci men. Thus, a total of nine determina-
tions shall be made for each specimen surface at each selected
normal f orce (that is, 3 scratches ti mes 3 width measurement
locations per scratch).
10.1.5 Repor ting Optional — Report the average stylus drag
coefficient, as obtained f rom measurements of the average
scratchi ng f orce on each test. I ndi cate the means used to
measure and calculate the average scratching force.
10.1.6 Obser vations— Report the presence of any cracks or
other defects associated with the scratches.
N OTE 8—A s the normal f orce on the styl us i s i ncreased on many
materi al s, there i s an i ncreasi ng tendency f or the f ormati on of mi cro-
f ractures, chips, and other f orms of surf ace damage. I t i s someti mes
hel pf ul to report the occurrence of such f eatures. I f the extent of damage
i s si gni fi cant, such as the producti on of l arge surf ace chi ps or spal l s, then
the scratch hardness number, even when obtained from unspalled portions
of the track shoul d not be consi dered val i d.
11. Pr eci si on and Bi as
11.1 Precision— The precision of scratch hardness determi-
nations is dependent on the scratching characteristics of the
given material or coating. Scratches on some materials have
rel atively easy-to-detect, straight edges. I n other cases, more
judgment is required to identify the edges of the scratch. Since
this measurement i s dependent on the morphology of scratch
edge f eatures, it is not possibl e to state in absolute terms the
precision f or thi s test method. Note also that any uncertainty
embodied within the scratch width measurement is doubled in
the computation of the scratch hardness number.
11.2 Repeatability and Repr oducibility — The repeatability
of scratch hardness testing results is dependent on the magni-
tude of the normal f orce, the accuracy of the width measuri ng
system, the deformational characteristics of the materials being
scratched, and operator as to the location of the scratch edges.
The lower the normal f orce, the narrower the scratch width,
and theref ore, the larger the ef f ects of measurement errors on
the repeatabil ity of scratch hardness numbers. The opti cal
readability (f or example, contrast) of scratch edges and the
nature of scratchi ng-induced damage to the test surf ace will
af f ect the repeatabi lity of the results. For example, a micro-
scope measuring system may be capable of measuring to 0.5
µm or better, but the scratch could have a wavy edge variability
fi ve times greater than that. If profi ling instruments are used to
measure width, the point at which this stylus enters and leaves
a wavy-edged track will affect the width measurement as well.
Therefore, neither styl us profi l ing nor opti cal microscopy
measurement is inherently immune from the effects of material
deformation artifacts on repeatability. A ppendix X 1 provides
examples of the repeatability and reproducibil ity of optical
microscope-based scratch wi dth measurements on a polished
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metal and a polymer specimen. The general reproducibility of
this test method has not been established.
11.3 Bias— Since there is no accepted reference material for
determi ning the bi as of the procedures i n scratch hardness
testing, there is no basis upon which to determine the bias.
12. Di scussi on
12.1 Scratch hardness tests are one of many micro-
mechanical tests used to characterize the surfaces of materials.
The values of the scratch hardness number, as defi ned herein,
can be af f ected by a variety of f actors including stylus shape,
stylus di mensions, applied normal f orce, scratching speed,
surface cleanliness, and uniformity of the material being tested.
L ike other types of hardness numbers, it does not measure a
single fundamental materials property, but instead refl ects the
conjoint infl uences of a number of material properties respond-
ing to the l oading conditions and penetration geometry im-
posed by the test. Therefore, one should not attempt to compare
the scratch hardness numbers for various materials of interest
unless the testing conditions are the same.
12.2 Penetr ation Geometr y — Since the stylus tip geometry
used here is a rounded-end cone, at a certain penetration depth,
the sliding geometry changes. The depth at which a rounded tip
blends into the conical porti on of the stylus can be called the
geometric transition depth ( zg t ) and may be calculated from the
tip radius r and the ti p apex angle a (degrees) as follows:
zgt 5 r ~1 2 cosudeg! (5)
where:
1
udeg 5 ~180 2 a deg! (6)
2
A tip of radi us 200 µm and apex angle of 120° gi ves zg t =
26.8 µm. By comparison, a tip radi us of 210 µm and with an
apex angle of 123° gives zg t = 25.4 µm.
N OTE 9— There are no known data that i ndi cate si gni fi cant ef f ects on
scratch hardness numbers f rom exceedi ng the geometri c transi ti on depth.
However, when i nterpreti ng scratch hardness resul ts havi ng a range of
scratch depths, and w hen observi ng of scratch-i nduced damage, one
shoul d consi der the possi bl e ef f ects of the sphere-to-cone transi ti on on
stress di stri buti on and materi al fl ow characteri sti cs.
12.3 Correlations of scratch hardness numbers wi th other
material characteristics, such as abrasive wear resistance, will
depend on the extent to which the response of the surface in use
i s control l ed by the same combi nation of properti es w hich
determi ne the scratch hardness number f or that material .
Theref ore the user of thi s standard shoul d establish hi s or her
own correlations between scratch hardness numbers and wear
characteristics of interest.
12.4 Use of scratch hardness numbers in f undamental stud-
ies of material def ormati on may require the measurement of
additional quantities associated with the morphology of the
scratch grooves, and an alternative method f or computing the
resistance of a surface to single-point abrasion may be needed.
13. K eywor ds
13.1 scratch; scratch hardness; single-point abrasion; stylus
 G 171 – 03
A PPENDI X

(Nonmandator y I nfor mation)

X 1. I NT ERL A BORAT ORY T EST S ON T H E REPEAT A BI L I T Y A ND REPRODUCI BI L I T Y

OF SCRA T CH W I DT H M EA SUREM ENT S

X 1.1 Pur pose
Thi s interlaboratory testing project was designed to deter-
mine the typi cal variability to be expected in scratch width
measurements on tw o material s of varyi ng resi stance to
scratching; namely, polymethylmethacryl ate (PM M A) and
brass (70 Cu-30 Zn).
width measurements and 6 diagonal length measurements was
made on each specimen. The same specimens were circulated
to all participating laboratories.
X 1.3 Resul t s
Data f rom the fi ve participating l aboratories were reduced

FIG. X1.1 Pattern of Scratches and Vickers Micro-indentations on Test Coupons

X 1.2 Pr ocedure
Three parallel scratches were placed on specimens of both
PM M A (as-received) and metall ographically polished brass
usi ng a 200 gf (1.96 N ) l oad and a 200 µm-radi us di amond
stylus. A Revetest y (CSEM , Neuchatel, Switzerland) manual
scratch tester was used. In addition to the scratches, a series of
V ickers microi ndentations were also placed on the two test
specimens. The square shapes of the microi ndentations pro-
vided the means to compare laboratory optical measurements
usi ng less judgment than i s invol ved with scratch widths. The
pattern of microindentations and scratches is shown i n Fig.
X 1.1. Five participants were asked to measure the width of
each scratch at the points labelled “ S_,” and the length of the
Vi ckers di agonals at the poi nts l abel led “ V _.” A total of 9
using Guide G 117. Table X 1.1 summarizes the scratch width
measurement results. Coeffi cients of variation are given in
Table X 1.2.
X 1.4 Scr at ch H ar dness Num ber s
The average scratch widths from the participating laborato-
ries were converted to average scratch hardness numbers using
Eq 3. The between-laboratory standard deviati on was used to
calculate the errors. These quantities were: HS1 . 9 6 N = 1.13 ( 6
0.08) GPa f or brass, and HS1 . 9 6 N = 0.123 ( 6 0.01) GPa f or
PM M A .
N OTE X 1.1— Since the scratch width is squared in calculating HSP, any
errors i n w i dth measurement are mul ti pl ied i n the calcul ated scratch
hardness number.

6
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 G 171 – 03
TABLE X1.1 Summary of Interlaboratory Measurements of TABLE X1.2 Coefficients of Variation and 95 % Confi dence Limits
Scratch Widths on the Sam e Tw o Specim ens of PMMA and Brass for Scratch Widths on the Same Two Specimens of PMMA
and Brass
N OTE— Each l aboratory made 9 repl i cate measurements.
Within-Lab Repeatability Between-Lab Reproducibility
Average Scratch Within-Lab Std. Between Lab Dev. Material
Spe cim en L ab C.O.V.(%) 95 % Limit C.O.V. (%) 95 % Limit
Width (µm) Dev. (µm) from Average (µm)
Brass 2.5 4.57 4.0 7.39
Brass A 66.0 0.44 -0.56 PMMA 0.6 3.36 2.6 14.62
B 68.7 1.90 2.14
C 68.0 1.48 1.44
D 63.2 1.21 -3.36
E 66.9 2.42 0.34
Average 66.6 1.63 2.64
PMMA A 203.2 0.00 1.28
B 204.8 2.13 2.88
C 205.3 0.81 3.38
D 194.4 0.75 -7.53
E A A A

AverageB 201.9 1.20 5.22

A
The data for Lab E failed the test for statistical outliers, per Guide G 117. It is
suspected that an incorrect magnification factor was used to calculate scratch
widths since the values were consistently about 1 ⁄2 the typical values for PMMA as
measured by the other four laboratories.
B
Not including Lab E.

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7
Copyright by ASTM Int'l (all rights reserved);
Reproduction authorized per License Agreement with Anne McMahon (Limerick Univ); Thu Jul 28 07:21:53 EDT 2005