Hardness Testing Using Portable Instruments

Hardness testing enables to evaluate a material’s properties, such as strength, ductility and wear resistance, and so helps you determine whether a material or material treatment is suitable for the purpose.

UCI Method

As in standard Vickers or Brinell hardness testing, the question as to the size of the test indentation in the material generated by a certain test load also arises in Vickers hardness testing according to the UCI (Ultrasonic Contact Impedance) method. However, the diagonals of the test indentation, which have to be known in order to determine the Vickers Hardness value, are not evaluated optically as usual, but the indentation area is electronically detected by measuring the shift of an ultrasonic frequency. 

Brinell hardness Testing

An indenter comprising a hardened steel ball of diameter D mounted in a suitable holder is pushed into the material under test by a force F. The diameter of the indentation left in the surface of the material after removal of the load is measured in two directions at right angles. The area of the curved surface of the indentation is calculated from the mean diameter, d, the indentation being considered as a segment of a sphere of diameter D. The Brinell hardness is the quotient obtained by dividing the load, symbol f, expressed in kilograms-force, by the surface area of the indentation expressed in square millimeters.