TITLE: HARDNESS TEST.

INTRODUCTION:
Defined as the resistance of a material to permanent deformation such as indentation, abrasion, scratch,
hardness and principally hardness testing has to do with the relationship between hardness and other
properties of material. The hardness test is preferred because it is simple, easy and relatively
nondestructive. There are currently many hardness tests in use, lest for this lab, we discuss only three.

THEORY:

With need to categorize the great range of hardness from soft rubber to hard ceramics, current practice
divides hardness testing into two, that is, macro-hardness and micro-hardness. Macro-hardness testing
includes the Rockwell, Brinell, Vickers, and 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 heavy gages while
in micro-hardness testing, applied loads are 1 Kg and below, with very thin testing material.

3.1 Brinell hardness

In this test a hard ball is forced into a surface and the size of the indentation produced is used as a measure
of hardness. In the Brinell hardness test a 10 mm ball is used and loads vary from 300 Kg for soft materials
such as copper to 3000 Kg for hard materials. The applied load is held for 10-15 seconds for softer materials
up to 30 seconds for hard materials. After the load is removed, the indentation diameter is measured,
typically in two perpendicular directions.
The Brinell hardness Number is;
BHN = load / surface area of indentation
2𝑃
𝐵𝐻𝑁 = 𝐾𝑔 /𝑚𝑚2
(𝜋𝐷)[𝐷 − √𝐷 2 − 𝑑2 ]
Where;
D= ball diameter
D= diameter of the indentation in millimeters

The term ‘Number’ is used consciously since the measured hardness with units of load/area is not a true
material property – the test configuration and load used enter into determining the result. That is, if non –
standard loads or indenters are used the results obtained differ. For comparing results the d/D and P/D 2
ratios should be constant for different tests.

3.2 Rockwell Hardness

Rockwell hardness is measured as the depth of an indentation under constant load. A minor load of 10 Kg
is applied to the specimen surface through an indenter. The major load is then applied and the depth of the
indentation measured. The Rockwell Hardness Number, R, is on the read out in arbitraly hardness numbers.
Each division on the dial readout, a unit hardness number corresponds to 0.00008 in depth of penetration.
The readout is set-up (reversed with respect to penetration) so that high penetration hardness or small

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penetration results in a high hardness number. The Rockwell hardness number is an arbitrary measure of
indenter penetration and does not have the same units of hardness as the BHN (Kg/mm2).
To be able to measure the hardness of a variety of materials, different indenters and loads are used and
different Rockwell hardness scales are defined. The Braile is a 120° included angle diamond cone and1.6
and 3.2 mm diameter steel balls are used as indenters. In classic Rockwell test machine, the black readout
dials scale is used for the Braile and the red scale for the ball indenters. Major loads of 60Kg, 100Kg, and
150Kg are standard. The combination of load and indenter must be specified for the test results to be
meaningful. This is done by specifying the Rockwell ‘scale’, for example;
A Rockwell hardness number without the letter prefix is meaningless. Hardened steel is tested on the C
scale with the diamond indenter and a 150Kg major load. Useful range for this scale is from:
RC – conical penetration, 150 Kg load, RC 20 to RC 70

Softer materials are usually tested on the B scale with 1.6 mm diameter steel ball and a 100Kg major load.
The range of this scale is:
RB – 1.6 mm diameter ball, 100Kg load, range RB 0 to RB 100.

The A scale (diamond penetrator, 60Kg major load) provides the most extended Rockwell hardness scale,
which is used for materials from annealed brass to cemented carbides. The scale is:
RA – conical penetrator, 60Kg load.

A dashpot on the test machine controls the rate of loading. Test surfaces should be flat and convex surfaces
give low reading.

3.3 Vickers Hardness Test

The Vickers test, also known as the diamond pyramid hardness test, uses a pyramid shaped diamond
indenter with loads ranging 1 to 120Kg. the Vickers hardness number (HV) is given by the formula;
1.854𝑃
𝐻𝑉 = 𝐿2
Where;
P = applied load, Kg
L = average length of diagonals, mm

4. EQUIPMENT / APPARATUS
4.1 Specimens
All specimens, made of mild steel, except one were products of annealing and cooled as specified below;
a) Specimen A - untreated steel
b) Specimen B – furnace cooled
c) Specimen C – Air cooled
d) Specimen D – Water cooled

The diagram below the shape of the specimens;

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Figure 1: Sample specimen.
4.2 Equipment
The Rockwell Test Machine was used in the Lab.

Figure 2: Rockwell Test Machine.

5. PROCEDURE
The three specimens were heat treated by being heated to a temperature of 900°C in an electric furnace and
then allowed to cool in the different media as motioned earlier.
The indentation test that was used is the Rockwell Hardness test.
Having had the specimen prepared, and the ready to use Rockwell testing machine, the load sector was
adjusted to 60kgf and the slim part of the furnace cooled (i.e. specimen D) was placed the conical Anvil
resting on the threading screw. Thereafter, the specimen was raised towards the diamond indenter until it
touched it. The machine was the zeroed and an initial load of 10kgf, loaded by adjusting the screw using
the hand wheel until the larger dial rotated 3 revolutions corresponding to 120° anticlockwise on the small
dial. Furthermore, the load button was placed and the readings taken after the dial deflected and rested for
the second time.
To increase the level of accuracy, the anvil was lowered and the contact point between the indenter and the
specimen changed each time, zeroing and performing the initial loading of 10kgf followed by the procedure
described above until three readings were obtained.
The same process was afterwards for each of the specimens and data recorded as shown in Table1.

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6 DATA COLLECTION/ANALYSIS
Table 5:Rockwell scale readings for the four specimens
SPECIMENS
Readings
1 Furnace cooled 2 Untreated 3 Air cooled 4 Water
Quenched

1 6.0 2 8.9 40.3

2 3.5 3 28 43.5
3 8 3.9 17 42.9
Average: 5.83HRc 2.97 HRc 17.97HRc 42.23HRc

6.1 Sample calculation for specimen ‘B’

∑𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 33.0+30.5+31.0
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 = 𝑁𝑜.𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠
= 3
= 𝟑𝟏. 𝟓 𝑯𝑹𝒄

6.2 Computation of HB
2𝑃
𝐵𝐻𝑁 = 𝐾𝑔 /𝑚𝑚2
(𝜋𝐷)[𝐷−√𝐷 2 −𝑑 2 ]
Where, p = 500kg; D = 10mm; d = 1.62mm.
2×500 1000 240.98𝐾𝑔
𝐵𝐻𝑁 = = = = 𝟐𝟒𝟎. 𝟗𝟖 𝑯𝑩
(𝜋×10)[10−√102 −1.622 ] 4.15 𝑚𝑚2

6.3 Calculating the diameter of indentation

Data: P=500kgf, BHN = 450 HB, D= 10mm.

2𝑃
𝐵𝐻𝑁 = 𝐾𝑔 /𝑚𝑚2
(𝜋𝐷)[𝐷−√𝐷 2 −𝑑2 ]
2 × 500
450 =
(10𝜋)[10 − √102 − 𝑑2 ]
1000
10 − √100 − 𝑑2 =
4500𝜋
1000 2
100 − 𝑑2 = (10 − )
4500𝜋
𝑑2 = 100 − 98.5903
𝑑 = √1.4097 = 𝟏. 𝟏𝟖𝟕𝒎𝒎

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7 DISCUSION
There is a higher correlation between ultimate Tensile Strength and hardness of the material tasted; the
higher the tensile strength the harder the material is. Hence, to some extent, the hardness test also gives
some scope of the tensile strength.

Brinell hardness test takes advantage of the diameter of the indentation caused; hence it is preferred when
testing the hardness of soft materials such as casts produced in foundries. When testing the hardness of
softer materials, the depth of indentation is not a very accurate depiction of materials hardness. For soft
materials, the diameter of indentation caused by the ball indenter depicts how hard the material is; the
smaller the diameter, the harder the material.

On the other hand, Rockwell hardness test is preferred in heat-treating laboratories, as the heat treated
materials are usually hard hence will need a diamond indenter as in this lab.

The use of the Rockwell hardness test was successful as the specimens were relatively hard. Among the
three heat- treated specimens, the furnace cooled and the air cooled specimens had lower Rockwell hardness
numbers than that of the control specimen ‘A’ (i.e. untreated). Between the furnace cooled and the air
cooled, the furnace cooled is softer. This is because furnace cooling is the full annealing process: slow
transformation of austenite gives a structure comprising ferrite and pearlite. The softness arises due to the
composition of about 70% pearlite which is soft.

The water cooled specimen had the highest Rockwell hardness number, even higher than that of the control.
Water cooling is rapid quenching which produced martensite in the outer layers of steel. The core material,
cooled more slowly, producing a fine ferrite+ pearlite structure. The hardness was as a result of the
martensite outer layer which is hard.

However, a slight variation in the readings was noticed during each recording and this was due to the
specimens not having being cooling uniformly across it, hence the variation in the hardness. The other
reason is the parallax error in taking readings and when zeroing.

8 CONCLUSION
Of the four under test, it can therefore be concluded that steel cooled in water or rapidly cooled is the hardest
and of higher tensile strength, thus has highest resistance to indentation. On the other hand, the furnace
cooled is the least hard.

Therefore, different types of annealing can produce steel of different mechanical properties.

9 REFERENCES
1. John V B, 1994, Engineering Materials, London: Macmillan
2. Kabyemera, I.; Kolasa, A and Bisanda, E.T.N. Laboratory Practical in Materials Technology.