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Hardness testing of metallic materials

Experiment Findings · February 2021

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Table of Contents

01. Title:........................................................................................................................................................2
02. Objectives:..............................................................................................................................................2
03. Introduction: ..........................................................................................................................................2
04. Theory: ...................................................................................................................................................2
05. Materials and Apparatus:.....................................................................................................................4
06. Methodology: .........................................................................................................................................4
07. Observations: .........................................................................................................................................6
08. Calculations: ..........................................................................................................................................6
09. Results: ...................................................................................................................................................6
10. Discussion:..............................................................................................................................................7
11. Conclusion. .......................................................................................................................................... 12
12. References ........................................................................................................................................... 12

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Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

01. Title: Hardness testing of metallic material

02. Objectives:
• To determine the hardness of metallic materials by using the Rockwell Scale

03. Introduction:

Hardness can be characterized as resistance to penetration, resistance to scratching,

resistance to cutting, or resistance to abrasion. An assortment os test for hardness is utilized,
depending on which of the above circumstances is of most intrigued. Components impacting
hardness incorporate microstructures, grain measure, strain hardening, etc. Heat treatments
are generally used to alter material properties such as hardness to the desired level, When
materials undergo heat treatments, it affects their microstructure. Therefore, enables us to
easily change the hardness level. The widely used methods for hardness testing are Brinell
and Rockwell hardness testing for alloys and metals.
Brinell Hardness Test:
The Brinell test uses a steel ball with different diameters that are pressed into a specimen by
a different load that is maintained for 15 to 30 seconds. The Brinell hardness number (BHN)
is then calculated. The Brinell number is based on the area of indentation, the diameter of
the indentation has to be measured. This is generally done with a microscope. When the
diameter of the indentation is larger this corresponds to lower Brinell number and softer
material.
Rockwell Hardness Test:
The penetrators used in the Rockwell hardness tester range from very small diamond tips to
1/2-inch diameter steel ball. The small points are generally used for harder materials that
exhibit greater resistance to indentation. Various force scales are used for various materials.
There are 3 types of Rockwell scales. Type A is used for thin steels whereas type B is used
for soft steels. Then type C is used for hard steels. It should be noted that each scale requires
a specific tip. A 1/16- inch diameter hard steel ball and a 100- kg load is used in scale B.
Scale A uses a diamond tip and a 60Kg load while the C scale uses a conical diamond point
and a 150-kg load.

04. Theory:

The Rockwell Hardness Test uses the method of penetration of indentor to measure the
hardness of a material. Here, the penetration of the indentor is directly proportional to the
hardness of the material. In general diamond or ball cone types of indentors are used for this
testing. The scales of this Rockwell Hardness Testing machine depends on the material type.
It is as follows.

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Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

Accordingly, if the material is hard steel then the scale C is used for the experiment.
Subsequently, the scale is set to with respect to the scale Similarly WHEN scale A or B used
the machine is set up in that manner.
The minor load applied initially eliminates the film thickness of the material and makes it
possible to overcome errors in the depth of measurement due to setting down of the specimen
and table attachments or the spring of the machine frame.
Calculation of the Rockwell hardness number by using depth ‘h’ for the diamond
sphereconical indenter: 𝐻𝑅 = 100 − ℎ /0.02.When Ball indentor is used, HR = 130 – h/0.002

Figure 1:Rockwell Hardness test principle

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Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

05. Materials and Apparatus:

• A Rockwell hardness testing machine
• A Diamond spherocinical Indenter
• A steel specimen

Figure 2:Diamond indenter

Figure 3:Rockwell hardness tester

Figure 4:specimen

06. Methodology:

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Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

• First, the top and bottom surface of the specimen was cleaned from any foreign matter
• Secondly, the testing temperature was maintained between 10-35 0C and it was
ensured that the test temperature doesn'taffect the result adversely
• The corresponding specimen support was then chosen to support the specimen rigidly.
• Then, the crank was set to unload position.

• Next, the correct Rockwell scale, the spheroconical Diamond indenter, and the
preload of 10kg was selected.
• Afterward, the larger pointer on the scale mounted on the Rockwell hardness tester
was adjusted to the level ‘C’ by turning the hand wheel appropriately
• Then, a hard steel plate was placed, and the indenter was brought into contact with the
test surface in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the velocity less than 2.5
mm/s by raising the anvil.
• The preliminary load (10 kg) was then obtained by continuously turning the
handwheel for the required number of revolutions of large pointer without over
traveling.
• Subsequently, the load was applied by moving the crank into the load position
slowly.
• Next, the specimen was unloaded by removing the crank back and the reading was
obtained from the relevant dial.
• The above method was repeated in order to take two more readings and the average
was calculated.
• Finally, the minor load was removed.

Figure 6:Scale
Figure 5:Crank

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Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

07. Observations:

08. Calculations:

• Average of HCR value

Sample 1st Reading 2nd Reading 3rd Reading Average

1 65 62 64.5 63.83
2 71 76 71.5 72.83
3 61 69 65.5 65.17
4 64.5 76 67 69.17
5 77.5 78 78.5 78

• h (depth) of the indention

ℎ
𝐻𝑅 = 100 −
0.002
ℎ
= 100 − 𝐻𝑅
0.002
ℎ = (100 − 𝐻𝑅) × 0.002

HRC(average) h(mm)
63.83 (100 − 63.83) × 0.002 0.07234
72.83 (100 − 72.83) × 0.002 0.05434
65.17 (100 − 65.17) × 0.002 0.06966
69.17 (100 − 69.17) × 0.002 0.06166
78 (100 − 78) × 0.002 0.044

09. Results:

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Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

Sample 1st 2nd 3rd Average h(mm)

observation Observation Observation HRC
1 65 62 64.5 63.83 0.07234
2 71 76 71.5 72.83 0.05434
3 61 69 65.5 65.17 0.06966
4 64.5 76 67 69.17 0.06166
5 77.5 78 78.5 78 0.044

10. Discussion:

Rockwell hardness test was developed by Stanley P. in 1919. Rockwell Hardness test is done
by applying two specified levels of force to a type of indenter at specific rates. The indenters
used, rates, and relevant forces are specified according to the national and international
standards of Rockwell Hardness testing methods such as Standard Test Method E18 published
by ASTM in the United States. However, the technological advances have brought some
major as well as minor changes to the prescribed methods of performing the Rockwell
Hardness test. As of recent the standard method of Rockwell Hardness testing published by
the Internationa Organization for Standards has allowed the use of hard metal balls such as
tungsten, WC, and carbide for Rockwell scales which use ball indenters. (S.R. Low, et al.,
2016)

Obtained Results

Hard steels exhibit a better Rockwell Hardness range when compared to soft material.
Hard steel is produced after significant warmth treating and tempering which leads to
excessive hardness. Thus, these materials are used for packing and shipping in equipment
industries. Although we anticipated particular and accurate outcomes, the four readings
recorded offered a splendid version among them. Typically, the expected values for the
Rockwell hardness test of hard steel are in the range of 55-sixty six. As the equipment used is
extraordinarily correct, it must have been experimental errors that caused such variance. A
variation as this could be due to several root causes such as parallax error. The accuracy of
the test highly relies on the surfaces of the specimen and indenter (Germak & ClaudioOriglia,
2011). Therefore, the result may have deviated due to the surface and ball indenter occupying
dust particles on them which would have easily deviated from expected readings.
Additionally, it was also observed that the surface was not flat due to the presence of previous
indentions made on the specimen.

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Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

Importance of the Rockwell Hardness test.

With the advancement of new technology, new products are rapidly being created. For
creating this product successfully, a thorough understanding of the material should be done.
One crucial test used to determine a material's properties is hardness testing.
Exposure of the load to extreme temperatures and pressures during the manufacturing process
will affect the components comprised of metals and metal alloys. Moreover, due to the
complex geometry of materials and their correlation between tensile strength and hardness,
hardness testing is the best method to confirm the survival and performance of the specified
metal and metal alloys intended for the specific application. As a result hardness testing is an
essential part of the quality control process. (Piller, 2014)
Moreover, hardness tests are significant in structural, aerospace, first-rate management,
automotive, failure analysis, and several other varieties of industry and production. By
determining the material property in these methods provides important information on the
strength, flexibility, durability, and competencies of these materials to be used in these above
industries.

It should also be mentioned that the data obtained from Hardness testing is used for material
testing, for heat treatment purposes, for analyzing structural integrity, for inspecting the
performance of materials, for quality control, and selection purposes.
Another importance of hardness testing is its easiness in experimenting. The specimen doesn’t
have to be prepared beforehand in a complex method and the test can be done in a minimum
amount of time. The non-destructive method of hardness testing is also another important
aspect. Many materials when tested need to be broken down to observe the material property
and to conduct the test such as impact test, tensile test, etc. But in hardness testing material is
not subjected to any form of damage.

Figure 7:Used specimen

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Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

There are generally two methods of hardness testing, the Brinell Hardness Test and the
Rockwell test. Rockwell hardness test is more favored due to its simplicity in operation and
additionally, it doesn’t require highly skilled operators. Due to the correlation of material
properties with similar materials, the Rockwell hardness test provides important data about the
metallic material, such as wear resistance, tensile strength, and mostly to obtain data on
material ductility. The advantage of the Rockwell hardness test is that the obtained data is
useful for material selection, for process and quality control, and is one of the acceptance
testing of products commercially.

Shortcomings of Rockwell Hardness testing

• Rockwell Hardness testing is not the most accurate testing method as even the slightest
error in measuring the difference of depth would result in a significant change in the
calculated hardness value.

• The test location, as well as the specimen, should be free of any contaminations such
as foreign bodies, oil, or scale to achieve a successful experiment.

• The indenter used has an unknown effect on the obtained test results. In case the
indenter is worn out and the tip is not sufficiently acute can’t be observer by the user
which in return provides incorrect reading during the experiment.

• With the increasing hardness of materials, the data obtained is not sufficient to
distinguish between the materials

• The quality of indenters affects the test outcome.

• The error possibility due to the shifting of the sample is high under a high load.

• Rockwell hardness test are not precise as other hardness tests due to measurement of
indentation depends on the operator and no optical system can be used to verify the
results.

• Can’t be used to measure indention of elastic materials as the indention depth will be
recovered

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Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

• Brittle materials can not be subjected to this test.

• The area of the indention can not be measured.

• The specimen used must be 10 times thicker than the indenter used.

The above-mentioned shortcoming might cause errors in measuring the indention depth
which as a result would cause significant deviations in hardness values. However, as to the
objective of hardness testing and purpose being different accuracy may change and the error
would not be negligible.

Figure 8:Schemetic representation of hardness test

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Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

Figure 9:Types of indenters

Improving the accuracy

As of now with the aim of increasing the accuracy of Rockwell hardness testing, GB/T230
and other technical manuals and books provide detailed instructions for handling the
instrument, testing parts, and the methods of testing in Rockwell hardness testing. Thus, the
errors during the experiment must be reduced. For precise and accurate results following
steps should be followed. (Ch Ch Yao, et al., 2020)
• The tester used in for testing must be kept in good condition and serviced regularly,
any abnormal deviation from expected values for the test should be neglected.

• It is to be noted that the surface of the specimen should be flat and free of any
contaminations such as oil and dust.

• The roughness of the surface should be within the range of Ra.1.6µm.

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Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

• When using the diamond indenter, the specimen should be 10 times thicker than the
indenter.

• The bench test surface and pressure plug, specimen support surface has to be
thoroughly cleaned and when placing the specimen, it should be placed firmly to
ensure there will be no displacement or other deformations during the test.

• The distance between the indenter and edge of the specimen must be 2.5 times the
diameter of the indenter used.

• The obtained results for the Rockwell hardness test often deviate from the standards
values. In this case, the indenter is tested using several standards blocks having
different hardness, then the average value is taken. (Menelao, et al., 2009)

When the above methods have followed the accuracy of the hardness test can be improved.

11. Conclusion.

In the Rockwell Hardness testing, the equipment used is easily implemented and can be
operated by anyone with basic knowledge. This test gives precise measurements without any
tedious operations. The results obtained through this experiment were arounf60-80, which
is acceptable but due to experimental errors, the results may have varied from the expected
result.

12. References

• Ch Ch Yao, M L Wang & Y Y Ruan, 2020. Several methods for improving the accuracy of
Rockwell hardness testing. Journal of Physics Conference Series , p. 12.
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 Hardness testing of metallic material MT1010/L1/03

• Germak, A. & ClaudioOriglia, 2011. Investigations of new possibilities in the calibration of

diamond hardness indenters geometry. Measurement, 44(2), pp. 315-358.
• Menelao, F., Dai, G. & Herrmann, K., 2009. Two approaches for enhancing the accuracy of
the Rockwell hardness test. Measurement Science and Technology, 20(6), p. 324.
• Piller, J., 2014. Quality Magazine. [Online]
Available at: https://www.qualitymag.com/articles/91828-hardness-testing-assures-quality-
in-advanced-materials
[Accessed 20 08 2020].
• S.R. Low, D.J. Pitchure & C.D. Flanigan, 2016. THE EFFECT OF SUGGESTED
CHANGES TO THE ROCKWELL. National Institute of Standards and Technology,
Volume 2, p. 8.

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