What is HARDNESS?

Universal & Dynamic Testing
Zwick.com
Zwick.de

Building Material Testing
Tonitechnik.com
Acmel-Labo.com

Hardness is the measure of resistance of a particular material to deformation when an external force or load is applied to that material.

There are many methods of applying a force in determining the resistance of a material. The most common of which are:-

Brinell	PDF	ISO 6506	ASTM E10
Vickers	PDF	ISO 6507	ASTM E92
Rockwell	PDF	ISO 6508	ASTM E18
Rockwell Superficial	PDF	ISO 6508	ASTM E18
Click on 'PDF' to download details of the test.
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The 30 Rockwell test scales and their suggested applications are available via this link. Unlike physical quantities such as length, time, volume or electrical current, hardness is a relative value that has no fundamental quantity or absolute standard. Hardness is related to other mechanical characteristics such as tensile strength, yield strength, elastic limit, resistance to wear, ductility etc. Hardness has become as critical as fit and finish in determining product quality. Metallic parts must function under increasingly arduous conditions, with loads, pressure and temperatures constantly increasing, hardness measurement is often one of the easiest and sometimes the best way of establishing that components will be able to take the strain. Indentec have produced various papers which are intended to provide practical tips and suggestions for improving the quality of results from routine hardness tests. The various articles are available by clicking on the links below:
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Integrating hardness into Quality Control			PDF
Get the best from the test.			PDF
Practical steps in Rockwell hardness testing			PDF
Statistical Process Control (SPC)			PDF
Add hardness values to SPC procedures			PDF
A wider role for TouchScreen in hardness testing			PDF
Click on 'PDF' to download the documents.

Indentec Hardness Testing Machines Limited
Lye Valley Industrial Estate, Bromley Street, Lye, Stourbridge, West Midlands, UK, DY9 8HX
Telephone: +44 (0) 1384 896949 Fax: +44 (0) 1384 424470
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