Hardness and Hardness Scales

Contents:
·0 Introduction And History Of Measuring
Hardness .

·1 Definition
·2 Princible Of Hardness Measuring
·3 Types Of Hardness Measuring Methods & Scales
·4 Rockwell Hardness
·5 Moh's Hardness
·6 Brinell Hardness
·7 Vicker's Hardness
·8 Knoop Hardness
·9 Shore Durometer Hardness
·10 Nanoindentation
·11 Rebound ( Dynamic Hardness )
·12 Meyer Scale
 ·13 Barcol Scale
·14 Conclusion
·15 References

Hardness, as applied to most materials, and in particular metals, is a valuable and commonly
employed mechanical test that has been in use in various forms for over 250 years. Certainly,
as a material property, its value and importance cannot be underestimated, the information
from a hardness test can complement and often be used in conjunction with other material
testing techniques such as tensile or compression to provide critical performance
information. How important and useful is material and hardness testing? Consider the
information provided and its significance in structural, aerospace, automotive, quality
control, failure analysis and many other forms of manufacturing and industry. Determining
these material properties provides valuable insight to the durability, strength, flexibility, and
capabilities of a variety of component types from raw materials to prepared specimens, and
finished goods. Over the years, various methods for determining the hardness of materials
have been developed and employed at varying levels of success. From early forms of scratch
testing to sophisticated automated imaging, hardness testing has evolved into an efficient
and accurate material testing method.

Some of the earliest forms of bar scratch testing date back to about 1722. These tests were
based on a bar that increased in hardness from end to end. The level at which the material
being tested could form a scratch on the bar was a determining factor in the specimen's
hardness.

Later, in 1822, hardness testing forms were introduced that included scratching material
surfaces with a diamond and measuring the width of the resultant line, a test eventually
known as the Mohs scale. In some processes this method is still utilized today. The Mohs
scale consists of ten minerals, ordered from hardest at 10 (diamond) to softest at 1 (talc).
Each mineral can scratch those falling below it in the scale hierarchy. The Mohs scale is
nonlinear ; the difference in hardness between 9 and 10 is significantly more than that
between 1 and 2. A tangible example is that of hardened tool steel which is falling at
approximately 7 or 8 on the scale.

Definition of Hardness:

We begin our discussion by defining what is Hardness. Hardness is a material dependent

property that measures the resistance to indentation or scratches. It should be noted that
strength and hardness are different terms for instance, a specimen with high tensile strength
does not mean it has high hardness while, a specimen with low tensile strength can have
high hardness, a good example would be Ceramics. Hardness depends on the nature of the
atomic bonding and the lattice crystal structure for instance, diamond and graphite are both
made purely of carbon and that the differences in their properties arise mainly from the

structure and bonding of the carbon atoms in these materials. These structural differences
can explain differences in hardness of many materials but often there are other factors that
go into determining a materials hardness. Since plastic deformation means dislocation
motion of the atomic planes hence, any obstruction to this movement would create an
increase of the material’s hardness. Generally, hardness increases in closed packed
crystalline structures as in the Tetrahedral arrangement.

Principle of Hardness Measuring:

Despite the wide spectrum of hardness measuring methods and various hardness standards,
the principle of operation is the same. The mechanical meanings of various hardness
standards are different and cannot be directly converted to each other, but can be compared
through tests. Hardness measuring is performed by forcing an indenter into the sample
surface followed by measuring the dimensions of the indentation (depth or actual surface
area of the indentation). In some cases, relatively quick and simple hardness test may
substitute tensile test. Hardness may be measured from a small sample of material without
destroying it. The tool used to make the indentation is typically a hard material which can be
made of Diamond, Tungsten Carbide and Steel. As the sharp tool is forced into the specimen,
a Micro or Nano indentation is created and hence
Measuring the size of the indentation is a reflection of material’s hardness.

Types of Hardness Scales:

Depending on the loading force value and the indentation dimensions, hardness can be
classified according to the size of indentation created into a macro-, micro- or nano-
hardness.

Scratch hardness (The ability of material to scratch on one another).

2. Indentation hardness (The ability of material to make a deep impact on one another).

3. Rebound or dynamic hardness (Measures the height of the "bounce" of a diamond-tipped

hammer dropped from a fixed height onto a material).

Hardness also can be classified according to the material being tested for example, Hardness
of minerals is measured using Moh’s scale while that of rubber can be measured using Shore
Durometer scale etc....

Also depending on the goal of hardness measurement for instance, if it is required to

measure the tensile strength as well, Brinell’s method can be used to substitute the tensile
test while measuring both, hardness and the ultimate tensile strength by multiplying by a
factor.

Moh’s Hardness:

Moh’s scale is a qualitative nonlinear scale characterizing scratch resistance of various

minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material. It was invented in
1812 by German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. The scale ranges from 1 to 10
with diamond on the top of the scale with a hardness of 10 compared to gypsum’s hardness
of 1.

Rockwell Scale:
Brinell’s scale: