SOLID MECHANICS LAB REPORT

HARDNESS TEST

Kalu Ram Meena (ME14BTECH11020)

Jyonit Gupta (ME14BTECH11018)
John Patmos B (ME14BTECH11017)
AIM: To study the hardness of the given material by performing the Rockwell
Hardness Test and the Brinell Hardness Test.

APPARATUS: Hardness tester, steel and ferrous metal specimens, loads and a
Brinell microscope.

THEORY: Hardness is defined as the resistance of a material to indentation,

which is determined by measuring the permanent depth of the indentation. It is
not a fundamental physical property but a characteristic of a material.

When a certain load and a given indenter are used, the smaller the indentation,
the harder the material is. Indentation hardness is obtained by measuring the
depth or area of the indentation.

I. Rockwell Hardness Testing

The Rockwell test method is used on all metals, except in condition where the
test metal structure or surface conditions would introduce too much variations;
where the indentations would be too large for the application; or where the
sample size or sample shape prohibits its use.

The Rockwell method measures the permanent depth of indentation produced

by a force/load on an indenter. First, a preliminary test force (commonly
referred to as preload or minor load) is applied to a sample using a diamond
indenter. This load represents the zero or reference position that breaks
through the surface to reduce the effects of surface finish. After the preload, an
additional load, call the major load, is applied to reach the total required test
load. This force is held for a predetermined amount of time (dwell time) to
allow for elastic recovery. This major load is then released and the final
position is measured against the position derived from the preload, the
indentation depth variance between the preload value and major load value.

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This distance is converted to a hardness number.

II. Brinell Hardness Testing

The Brinell method applies a predetermined test load (F) to a carbide ball of
fixed diameter (D) which is held for a predetermined time period and then
removed. The resulting impression is measured across at least two diameters
usually at right angles to each other and these result averaged (d).

A chart is then used to convert the averaged diameter measurement to a Brinell

hardness number. Test forces range from 500 to 3000 kgf.

A Brinell hardness result measures the permanent width of indentation

produced by a carbide indenter applied to a test specimen at a given load, for a
given length of time. Typically, an indentation is made with a Brinell hardness
testing machine and then measured for indentation diameter in a second step
with a specially designed Brinell microscope or optical system. The resulting
measurement is converted to a Brinell value using the Brinell formula or a
conversion chart based on the formula.

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Hardness Scale Rockwell A Rockwell B Rockwell C Brinell
Indentor Diamond 120o Ball 1/16 dia Diamond 120o Ball 2.5 mm dia
Total load in kg 60 100 150 187.5
(inclu initial load
10 kgf)
Actual weight 60 kg 60 kg 60 kg 60 kg
applied marked 100 kg 100 kg 100 kg
as 150kg 150kg
187.5 kg
Pointer position Outer Black Outer Black Outer Black
on dial gauge scale scale scale
Suitable for Tests of case Annealed or Annealed or Steel and
hardened steel hardened and hardened and ferrous metal
tempered steel. tempered or
Non-ferrous case hardened
metal steel.

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OBSERVATIONS:

Sl no. Method Scale Material Hardness Major load

Value
1 Rockwell C Aluminum 23 HRB 150 kgf
2 Rockwell B Steel 43 HRB 100 kgf

Sl no. Method Material Load Ball Indenter

Diameter Diameter
(D) (d)
Aluminu
1 Brinell m 187.5 kgf 2.5 mm 1.74 mm

CALCULATION:

=
( )

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 Where,
D = Ball diameter

d = impression diameter

F = load

HB = Brinell result

Therefore,

2 187.5
=
3.14 0.0025(0.0025 0.0025 0.00174 )

HB = -1904671.2

CONCLUSION:
The Brinell and Rockwell hardness tests can be used to evaluate the hardness of a
wide range of metallic materials. When either test is performed accurately to
procedure each will produce a reliable hardness rating to compare to other
materials. While both the Brinell and Rockwell tests are consistent, they produce
values of hardness on different scales from each other due to slightly different
methods and analysis.

The Rockwell test measures hardness by using diamond cone indenter. The
indentation is measured after a lighter initial load is applied and after a heavier
load is applied. This test is carried out on a machine that records each depth and
calculates the hardness factor. The evaluator must consider the fundamental
properties of a sample before it is tested to ensure it is being evaluated using the
proper loading. The hardness is reported on one of the scales A through G;
depending on what material is being tested and which loading is used in the
procedure.

The Brinell test is the predecessor to the Rockwell test. It reports a hardness factor
that can be compared on a single scale but only factors can be compared that were
tested using the same ball size and force. Despite it being a more primitive test, it
is still used and considered accurate, especially for larger parts that have a coarse
grain structure. Popular test samples are casted steel or iron that are not as easily
evaluated with the Rockwell test. The Brinell test procedure can take a little bit
longer than the Rockwell test.

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