Experiment no 1

TA B L E O F C ON TE N TS

Objective ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Need To Know About ...................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 2
What Is Hardness?........................................................................................................................... 2
Material Science .............................................................................................................................. 3
Scratch Hardness ............................................................................................................................. 3
Indentation Hardness ...................................................................................................................... 3
Rebound Hardness .......................................................................................................................... 3
How To Measure Hardness? ........................................................................................................... 4
Hardness Measurement Method .................................................................................................... 4
Brinell Hardness Test....................................................................................................................... 4
Standards......................................................................................................................................... 5
Brinell Test Method......................................................................................................................... 5
Application ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Strength ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Weaknesses ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Limitations ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Errors in Hardness Testing .............................................................................................................. 8
References ....................................................................................................................................... 8

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

1 University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
 Experiment no 1

Testing of Materials
Brinell Hardness Test

OB JE CT IV E

Measurement of Hardness of Carbon Steel using Brinell Hardness Test.

NE E D T O KN OW A B O UT

(1) To understand what hardness is, and how it can be used to indicate some properties of
materials
(2) To conduct typical engineering hardness tests and be able to recognize commonly used
hardness scales and numbers
(3) To be able to understand the correlation between hardness numbers and the properties of
materials
(4) To learn the advantages and limitations of the common hardness test methods
Experimental Condition:
Temperature: 25oC
Load (P) =3000kg
Indenter Diameter (D) = 10mm

IN TR O DU CT I ON

It is a common practice to test most materials before they are accepted for processing, and
before they are put into service to determine whether or not they meet the specifications required. One
of these tests is hardness. The Rockwell, Brinell and durometer machines are those most commonly
used for this purpose.

W HA T IS HA R D N ES S ?

The Metals Handbook defines hardness as "Resistance of metal to plastic deformation, usually by
indentation. However, the term may also refer to stiffness or temper or to resistance to scratching,

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

2 University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
 Experiment no 1
abrasion, or cutting. It is the property of a metal, which gives the ability to resist being permanently,
deformed (bent, broken, or have its shape changed), when a load is applied. The greater the hardness of
the metal, the greater resistance it has to deformation.
In materials science, there are three principal operational definitions of hardness:
Scratch hardness: Resistance to fracture or plastic (permanent) deformation due to
friction from a sharp object
Indentation hardness: Resistance to plastic (permanent) deformation due to a
constant load from a sharp object
Rebound hardness: Height of the bounce of an object dropped on the material,
related to elasticity.
The equation based definition of hardness is the pressure applied over the projected contact area
between the indenter and the material being tested. As a result hardness values are typically reported in
units of pressure

MA T E RIA L S C I EN CE

Hardness is a characteristic of a solid material expressing its resistance to permanent

deformation. Hardness can be measured on the Mohr’s scale or various other scales. Some of the other
scales used for indentation hardness in engineering—Rockwell, Vickers, and Brinell—can be compared
using practical conversion tables.

S CRA T C H HA R DN ES S

In mineralogy, hardness commonly refers to a material's ability to penetrate softer materials. An

object made of a hard material will scratch an object made of a softer material. Scratch hardness is
usually measured on the Mohr’s scale of mineral hardness. One tool to make this measurement is the
sclerometer.
Pure diamond is the hardest readily-available natural mineral substance and will scratch any
other natural material. Diamond is therefore used to cut other diamonds; in particular, higher-grade
diamonds are used to cut lower-grade diamonds.

IN D EN TA T I O N HA R DN ES S

Indentation hardness tests are primarily used in engineering and metallurgy fields. The tests
work on the basic premise of measuring the critical dimensions of an indentation left by a specifically
dimensioned and loaded indenter.

RE B OU N D HA R DN ES S

Also known as dynamic hardness, rebound hardness measures the height of the "bounce" of a
diamond-tipped hammer dropped from a fixed height onto a material. The device used to take this
measurement is known as a scleroscope.

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

3 University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
 Experiment no 1
Two scales that measures rebound hardness are the Leeb rebound hardness test and Bennett
hardness scale.

H OW T O M EA S U R E HA R DN ES S ?

Moh’s scale of hardness

The Moh’s scale of hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the
ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material.

Moh’s Hardness Mineral Absolute Hardness

1 Talc 1

2 Gypsum 3

3 Calcite 9

7 Quartz 100

10 Diamond 1600

HA RD N ES S M EA S UR E M EN T M ET H O D

There are three types of tests used with accuracy by the metals industry; they are the Rockwell
hardness test, the Brinell hardness test, and the Vickers hardness test. The way the three of these
hardness tests measure a metal's hardness is to determine the metal's resistance to the penetration of a
non-deformable ball or cone. The tests determine the depth or area which such a ball or cone will sink
into the metal, under a given load, within a specific period of time.
The followings are the most common hardness test methods used in today`s technology:
1. Rockwell hardness test
2. Brinell hardness
3. Vickers
4. Knoop hardness
5. Shore

BR IN E L L HA R DN ES S T ES T

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 1500 kg or 500 kg to avoid excessive
indentation. The full load is normally applied for 10 to 15 seconds

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

4 University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
 Experiment no 1
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 by dividing the load applied by the surface area of the indentation.

Brinell testing is typically done on iron and steel castings using a 3000Kg test force and a 10mm
diameter carbide ball. Aluminum and other softer alloys are frequently tested using a 500Kg test force
and a 10 or 5mm carbide ball. Therefore the typical range of Brinell testing is 500 to 3000kg with 5 or
10mm carbide balls.

S TA N DA R DS

Brinell Test methods are defined in the following standards:

ASTM E10

ISO 6506

Brinell Hardness numbers

Materials Hardness

Aluminium 15 HBS 10/100

Copper 35 HBS 10/100

Mild Steel 120 HB

Stainless Steel 200 HB

Glass 1550 HB

Hardened Tool Steel 1500-1900HB

BR IN E L L T ES T M E T H OD

All Brinell tests use a carbide ball indenter. The test procedure is as follows:
The indenter of Diameter (D) 10mm is pressed into the sample by an accurately
controlled test force.
The force of 3000kg is maintained for a specific dwell time, normally 15 - 30 seconds.
After the dwell time is complete, the indenter is removed leaving a round indent in
the sample.
The size of the indent is determined optically by measuring two diagonals of the
round indent using either a portable microscope or one that is integrated with the load
application device.

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

5 University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
 Experiment no 1
The Brinell hardness number is a function of the
test force divided by the curved surface area of the indent.
The indentation is considered to be spherical with a radius
equal to half the diameter of the ball. The average of the two
diagonals is used in the following formula to calculate the
Brinell hardness:

Where:
P = applied force (kgf)
D = diameter of indenter (mm)
d = diameter of indentation (mm)

The diameter of the impression is the average of two readings at right angles and the use of a
Brinell hardness number table can simplify the determination of the Brinell hardness. A well structured
Brinell hardness number reveals the test
conditions, and looks like this, "75 HBW
10/3000/30" which means that a Brinell
Hardness of 75 was obtained using a 10mm
diameter hardened steel with a 3000 kilogram
load applied for a period of 30 seconds and
the W indicates that a carbide ball was used.
On tests of extremely hard metals a tungsten
carbide ball is substituted for the steel ball.
The Brinell number, which normally
ranges from HB 50 to HB 750 for metals, will
increase as the sample gets harder. Tables are
available to make the calculation simple. A
typical Brinell hardness is specified as follows:
356HBW
Where 356 is the calculated hardness
and the W indicates that a carbide ball was
used. Note- Previous standards allowed a steel ball and had an S designation. Steel balls are no longer
allowed.

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

6 University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
 Experiment no 1
RE S U LTS F O R M I LD S TE E L

Center line for the notch Brinnel Hardness Test

Readings
part d (mm) number (BHN)

1 3.25 117

2 3.20 121

3 3.20 121

Average 119.7

A PP L ICA TI O N

Because of the wide test force and Indenter diameter range the Brinell test can be used on
almost any metallic material.

S TR E N GT H

One scale covers the entire hardness range, although comparable results can only be obtained if
the ball size and test force relationship is the same.
A wide range of test forces and ball sizes to suit every application.
Nondestructive, sample can normally be reused.
Compared to the other hardness test methods, the Brinell ball makes the deepest and widest
indentation, so the test averages the hardness over a wider amount of material, which will more
accurately account for multiple grain structures and any irregularities in the uniformity of the
material.

W EA KN ES S ES

The main drawback of the Brinell test is the need to optically measure the indent size. This
requires that the test point be finished well enough to make an accurate measurement.
Slow testing can take 30 seconds, not counting the sample preparation time.

LI M ITA TI O NS

However, because of the large ball diameter the test cannot be used to determine the hardness
variations in a welded joint for which the Vickers test is preferred.
Very hard metals, over 450BHN may also cause the ball to deform resulting in an inaccurate
reading. To overcome this limitation a tungsten carbide ball is used instead of the hardened steel
ball but there is also a hardness limit of 600BHN with this indenter.
The oxide layer should be remove from the sample by using sand paper or grinders otherwise it

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

7 University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
 Experiment no 1
would cause variation in hardness number.
We cannot perform this operation on a very thin sheet of metal usually having thickness less
than 10mm.For this we need to pile few sheets accurately without any impurity or oxide layer.

ER R ORS NI HA RD N ES S T ES TI N G

There are many factors that can affect the accuracy of the hardness test. Some of these such as
flatness and surface finish have already been mentioned above but it is worth re-emphasizing the
point that flatness is most important - a maximum angle of approximately ± 1° would be
regarded as acceptable.
To achieve the required flatness tolerance and surface finish surface grinding or machining may
be necessary. The correct load must be applied and to achieve this there must be no friction in
the loading system otherwise the impression will be smaller than expected - regular maintenance
and calibration of the machine is therefore essential. The Brinell ball will deform over a period of
time and inaccurate readings will result. This deterioration will be accelerated if a large
proportion of the work is on hard materials. The length of time that the load is applied is
important and must be controlled.
The specimen dimensions are important - if the test piece is too thin the hardness of the
specimen table will affect the result. As a rule of thumb the specimen thickness should be ten
times the depth of the impression for the Brinell test and twice that of the Vickers diagonal.
Similarly, if the impression is too close to the specimen edge then low hardness values will be
recorded - again as a rule the impression should be some 4 to 5 times the impression diameter
from any free edge.
The specimen table should be rigidly supported and must be in good condition - burrs or raised
edges beneath the sample will give low readings. Impact loading must be avoided. It is very easy
to force the indenter into the specimen surface when raising the table into position. This can
strain the equipment and damage the indenter. Operator training is crucial and regular validation
or calibration is essential if hardness rest results are to be accurate and reproducible

RE F ER E NC ES

1. ^ ASTM E10 - 08 Standa rd Test Method for Bri nell Ha rdness of Metallic Ma terials

2. ^ ISO 6506-1:2005 Metallic ma terials - Bri nell ha rdness tes t - Pa rt 1: Tes t method

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohs_scale_of_mineral_hardness
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brinell_hardness_test
5. http://www.scribd.com/doc/18004150/Hardness-Report?autodown=pdf
6. “Technical Metallurgy” by Cliffe (page 150 – 154)
7. “Material, Their Nature, Fabrication and Properties” by Sergal (page 143 – 145, 71 –72)
8. “Metallurgy for Engineers” by Rollesan (page 15)

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

8 University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore