Brinell Hardness Test

Hardness is a measure of a material’s resistance to localized plastic deformation like indentation. It

is dependent on various properties of the material like ductility, toughness. It can be measured by
different methods. Brinell Hardness Test is one of them. This test is based on Indentation Hardness
testing. The theory behind the test and its procedure are discussed in this report. Measurement of
Hardness can be used to estimate the Ultimate Tensile Strength and other similar properties of the
material.

I. INTRODUCTION

Brinell Hardness test is an Indentation hardness test.

Indentation hardness measures the resistance of a sample
to deformation due to a constant compressive load from
a sharp object. This was proposed by Swedish engineer
Johan August Brinell in 1900.

I.1. Theory

In this test, the sample is subjected to a heavy load

through an indenter. The indentation formed is a
measure of hardness. The load range is about 500 kgf
- 3000 kgf , the diameter of the indenter is generally FIG. 1. Schematic view of Brinell Hardness Tester
5 mm or 10 mm. The diameter of the indentation is
measured using an optical microscope.

The Brinell hardness number is a function of the test

force divided by the curved surface area of the indent. It
is calculated using the formula.

2F
BHN = √
πD(D − D2 − d2 )

where
BHN = Brinell Hardness Number (kgf /mm2 )
F = applied load in kilogram-force (kgf )
D = diameter of indenter (mm)
d = diameter of indentation (mm)

II. MATERIALS AND METHODS

II.1. Apparatus Required

I.2. Objective

1. Brinell Hardness Tester

To determine the Brinell hardness number for
Model - B3000
• Cast iron Specimen Load range is - 500 kgf to 3000 kgf
Maximum Test Height - 410 mm
• Aluminium Specimen Throat Depth - 200 mm
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Power Supply - 220 volts, 3 phase III.2. Calculations

Indenter - Hardened Steel Ball 10 mm/ Diamond
5 mm 1. BHN for Cast Iron Specimen : 142.56

2. BHN for Aluminium Specimen : 100.24

2. Optical Microscope
25 fold magnification with lighting
Least count - 0.1 mm IV. DISCUSSION
3. Test Specimen
Cast Iron Specimen
Aluminium specimen Material Practical value Theoretical value Deviation
Cast Iron 142.56 150 4.96%
Aluminium 100.24 100 0.24%
II.2. Procedure

• Put the loads and turn on the machine, wait for
some time till the loads settle in their position.
• Place the test specimen on the anvil and load it
with the help of the Hand Wheel.
• Now change the lever position from A to B so that
the load applied on the pan is mechanically coupled
with the load applied with the help of hand wheel.
• Wait for some time till the load is completely ap-
plied i.e, till the needle on the dial gets stabilized.
• After this change back the lever position and turn
off the machine.
• Wait till the load is in its initial position. Then
gradually remove the loads and take out the speci-
men.
IV.1. Deviation in Results
The Deviation of practical values from the theoretical
values has several factors contributing to it.
• Oxidation is one of the cause for the discrepancy
in the hardness of the inner and outer region of the
specimens. The oxidized layer formed on surface of
metal will have different hardness compared to the
pure metal.
• The way of surface finishing of the specimen and
the indenter also effects the hardness. But this ef-
fect is negligible as long as the indentation is large
when compared to surface roughness.
• Strain hardening effect adds extra hardness to the
top layers of the specimen.

• Measure the diameter of indentation with the help

of the optical microscope. IV.2. Advantages and Disadvantages of the test

• Find the Brinell Hardness number by using formula IV.2.1. Advantages

and compare the result with the theoretical values.
• Widest and Deepest indentation is produced in this
test when compared to other indentation hardness
III. RESULTS
tests.Thus the hardness measured is an average of
various considerations. This accounts for several
III.1. Observations grain structures and some surface irregularities.

1. Cast Iron Specimen • Suitable for hardness tests even under rough work-
Applied Load = 3000 kgf shop conditions.
Minor load = 250 kgf
• A wide range of test forces to suit every application.
Major Load = 2750 kgf
Indenter Diameter = 10 mm
Indentation Diameter = 5 mm
IV.2.2. Disadvantages
2. Aluminium Specimen
Applied Load = 500 kgf • For soft or very hard materials, the Brinell Hard-
Minor load = 250 kgf ness test cannot be used. This test is limited to
Major Load = 250 kgf materials with hardness up to 450 HBN with a
Indenter Diameter = 10 mm hardened steel ball and 600 HBN with a tungsten
Indentation Diameter = 2.5 mm carbide ball.
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• Because of the relatively large indentations, the the theoretical values. The error may be also due to er-
work piece may not be usable after testing. ror in measurement of indentation diameter or improper
loading conditions.
• Testing small and thin-walled specimens is difficult.

V. CONCLUSION

The higher the HBN value, the harder and stronger

the metal. The experimental results are fairly closer to

[1] Material Science And Engineering An Introduction, [3] Mechanical metallurgy, Dieter George E, McGraw Hill
William D.Callister Jr, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.(United Book Company.(London)
State of America)
[2] ASTM E10 - 08 Standard Test Method for Brinell Hard-
ness of Metallic Materials.