Experiment -4: To Measure and Compare the Brinell, Rockwell and Superficial hardness of Mild steel, luminum and

Brass Metals
!"#ect of the Experiment: To measure and compare the Brinell, Rockwell and Rockwell superficial hardness of mild steel, aluminum and brass. Brinell hardness test The Brinell hardness test method consists of indenting the test material with a 10 mm diameter hardened steel or carbide ball subjected to a load of 3000 kg. For softer materials the load can be reduced to 1 00 kg or 00 kg to a!oid e"cessi!e indentation. The full load is normall# applied for 10 to 1 seconds in the case of iron and steel and for at least 30 seconds in the case of other metals. The diameter of the indentation left in the test material is measured with a low powered microscope. The Brinell harness number is calculated b# di!iding the load applied b# the surface area of the indentation.

The diameter of the impression is the a!erage of two readings at right angles and the use of a Brinell hardness number table can simplif# the determination of the Brinell hardness. $ well structured Brinell hardness number re!eals the test conditions, and looks like this, %& 'B 10( 00(30% which means that a Brinell 'ardness of & was obtained using a 10mm diameter hardened steel with a 00 kilogram load applied for a period of 30 seconds. )n tests of e"tremel# hard metals a tungsten carbide ball is substituted for the steel ball. *ompared to the other hardness test methods, the Brinell ball makes the deepest and widest indentation, so the test a!erages the hardness o!er a wider amount of material, which will more accuratel# account for multiple grain structures and an# irregularities in the uniformit# of the material. This method is the best for achie!ing the bulk or macro+hardness of a material, particularl# those materials with heterogeneous structures. 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 preliminar# minor load F0 ,Fig. 1$- usuall# 10 kgf. .hen e/uilibrium has been reached, an indicating de!ice, which follows the mo!ements of the indenter and so responds to changes in depth of penetration of the indenter, is set to a datum position. .hile the preliminar# minor load is still applied an additional major load is applied with

resulting increase in penetration ,Fig. 1B-. .hen e/uilibrium has again been reach, the additional major load is remo!ed but the preliminar# minor load is still maintained. Remo!al of the additional major load allows a partial reco!er#, so reducing the depth of penetration ,Fig. 1*-. The permanent increase in depth of penetration, resulting from the application and remo!al of the additional major load is used to calculate the Rockwell hardness number.

'R 0 E - e
F0 0 preliminar# minor load in kgf, F1 0 additional major load in kgf F 0 total load in kgf 'R 0 Rockwell hardness number e 0 permanent increase in depth of penetration due to major load F1 measured in units of 0.001 mm E 0 a constant depending on form of indenter2 100 units for diamond indenter, 130 units for steel ball indenter D 0 diameter of steel ball

$i%& '&Rockwell (rinciple Rockwell )ardness Scales

3cale $ B * 8 < F > ' ? 6 5 @ 4ndenter 8iamond cone 1(19% steel ball 8iamond cone 8iamond cone 1(=% steel ball 1(19% steel ball 1(19% steel ball 1(=% steel ball 1(=% steel ball 1(;% steel ball 1(;% steel ball 1(;% steel ball 5inor 6oad F0 kgf 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 5ajor 6oad F1 kgf 0 :0 1;0 :0 :0 0 1;0 0 1;0 0 :0 1;0 Total 6oad F kgf 90 100 1 0 100 100 90 1 0 90 1 0 90 100 1 0 7alue of E 100 130 100 100 130 130 130 130 130 130 130 130

R 3 7

1(1% steel ball 1(1% steel ball 1(1% steel ball

10 10 10

0 :0 1;0

90 100 1 0

130 130 130

Typical Application of Rockwell Hardness Scales

'R$2 *emented carbides, thin steel and shallow case hardened steel 'RB2 *opper allo#s, soft steels, aluminum allo#s, malleable irons, etc 'R*2 3teel, hard cast irons, case hardened steel and other materials harder than 100 'RB 'R82 Thin steel and medium case hardened steel and pearlitic malleable iron 'R<2 *ast iron, aluminum and magnesium allo#s, bearing metals 'RF2 $nnealed copper allo#s, thin soft sheet metals 'R>2 @hosphor bronAe, ber#llium copper, malleable irons 'R'2 $luminum, Ainc, lead 'R?, 'R6, 'R5, 'R@, 'RR, 'R3 and 'R72 3oft bearing metals, plastics and other !er# soft materials $d!antages of the Rockwell hardness method include the direct Rockwell hardness number readout and rapid testing time. 8isad!antages include man# arbitrar# non+related scales and possible effects from the specimen support an!il. Rockwell Superficial )ardness Test The Rockwell 3uperficial hardness test method consists of indenting the test material with a diamond cone ,B scale- or hardened steel ball indenter. The indenter is forced into the test material under a preliminar# minor load F0 ,Fig. 1$- usuall# 3 kgf. .hen e/uilibrium has been reached, an indicating de!ice that follows the mo!ements of the indenter and so responds to changes in depth of penetration of the indenter is set to a datum position. .hile the preliminar# minor load is still applied an additional major load, is applied with resulting increase in penetration ,Fig. 1B-. .hen e/uilibrium has again been reach, the additional major load is remo!ed but the preliminar# minor load is still maintained. Remo!al of the additional major load allows a partial reco!er#, so reducing the depth of penetration ,Fig. 1*-. The permanent increase in depth of penetration, e, resulting from the application and remo!al of the additional major load is used to calculate the Rockwell 3uperficial hardness number.

)R * E - e
F0 0 preliminar# minor load in kgf F1 0 additional major load in kgf F 0 total load in kgf 'R 0 Rockwell hardness number e 0 permanent increase in depth of penetration due to major load F1, measured in units of 0.001 mm E 0 a constant of 100 units for diamond and ball indenters D 0 diameter of steel ball

$i%& +&Rockwell Superficial (rinciple Rockwell Superficial )ardness Scales 3cale 'R 1 B 'R 30 B 'R ; B 'R 1 T 'R 30 T 'R ; T 'R 1 . 'R 30 . 'R ; . 'R 1 C 'R 30 C 'R ; C 'R 1 D 'R 30 D 'R ; D 4ndenter T#pe B 8iamond cone B 8iamond cone B 8iamond cone 1(19% steel ball 1(19% steel ball 1(19% steel ball 1(=% steel ball 1(=% steel ball 1(=% steel ball 1(;% steel ball 1(;% steel ball 1(;% steel ball 1(1% steel ball 1(1% steel ball 1(1% steel ball 5inor 6oad 5ajor 6oad Total 6oad F0 F1 F kgf kgf kgf 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 11 1& ;1 11 1& ;1 11 1& ;1 11 1& ;1 11 1& ;1 1 30 ; 1 30 ; 1 30 ; 1 30 ; 1 30 ; 7alue of < 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Experimental (rocedure

a- @olish the surface of the specimens that ha!e been pro!ided to #ou.. a- Fit the specimen is in the sample holder c- $fter fitting the sample, perform the brinell, Rockwell and Rockwell superficial hardness of mild steel, aluminum and brass. d- 5easure the dimensions ,diameter in case of brinell- of the dimensions produce b# brinell and Rockwell techni/ues. Take mean of the three readings in each of the three cases. Experimental date collection and presentation a- *alculate the Brinell hardness from the formula mentioned abo!e. b- .rite sample readings in a tabulated form. c- *ompare the brinell, Rockwell and Rockwell superficial hardness of mild steel, aluminum and brass surface. d- Report the data ,uestions a- *ompare the brinell, Rockwell and Rockwell superficial hardness of mild steel, aluminum and brass surface. b- .hat do #ou understand b# geometricall# similar indentationsE c- .hat precautions would #ou take while performing Rockwell hardness testE d- .hich hard ness test would #ou recommend for mild steel castingE .