STRENGTH OF MATERIAL LAB ME 211 B

EXPERIMENT NO 5
OBJECT-To determine the hardness of a given specimen using Brinell /
Rockwell / Vickers testing machine
THEORY- Hardness is a surface property. It is defined as the resistance of
material against permanent deformation of the surface in the form of
scratch, cutting, indentation, or mechanical wear. The need of hardness
test arises from the fact that in numerous engineering applications, two
components in contact are made to slide or roll over each other. In due
course, their surfaces are scratched and they may fail due to mechanical
wear. This result in not only a quick replacement of both parts but also
incurs a big loss in terms of money.
For example, piston ring of an I.C engine remains in sliding contact
with the cylinder body when the piston reciprocates with in the cylinder. If
proper care is not taken in selection of materials for then, the piston rings
and cylinder will wear soon.
In this case the replacement or repairing of cylinder block will
involve much time, trouble and money. Therefore, the material of piston
rings and cylinder block should be taken such that the wear is least on the
cylinder. Thus in case of repairing, comparatively cheaper piston rings can
be easily replaced. This envisages that material of cylinder block should be
harder than the material of piston rings so that the cylinder wears the
least. This can be ascertained by conduct of a hardness test. That is why it
is essential to known as to how this test can be conducted.
APPARATUS USED Brinell / Rockwell / Vickers testing machine, specimen
of mild steel/cast iron/ non ferrous metal, optical microscope
SPECIFICATIONS OF HARDNESS TESTING MACHINES AND INDENTORS

:
The Brinell cum Rockwell Tester has following specifications:
Ability to determine hardness up to 500 BHN
Diameter of Ball D
2.5, 5 & 10 mm
Maximum Load
30 D2
BRINELL HARDNESS TEST:
Insert Ball of diameter D in ball holder of the machine.
Make the specimen surface free from dust and dirt.
Make contact between specimen surface and ball by rotating the
wheel
Turn the lever to apply load.
Wait for 30 seconds.
Remove the specimen from the support table and check the
1

STRENGTH OF MATERIAL LAB ME 211 B

indentation through optical microscope.

ROCKWELL HARDNESS TEST:

The specimen is subjected to a major load for about 15 seconds after the
initial load. ASTM says 13 scales for testing of wide range of materials.
These scales are A,B, C etc. B-scale is preferred for soft steel and
Aluminum alloys while C scale is used for hard steel. B scale uses a ball of
1/16 while cone indenter is used for c scale.
VICKERS HARDNESS TEST:
This test is similar to the Brinell test but uses a different indenter. A square
based pyramid of cone angle 136 degrees is used. The applied load may be
5, 10, 30, and 50 etc. kgf. The same test procedure is adapted.
OBSERVATION TABLE
S.
No.

BALL DIA

1
2
3
CALCULATION:

RESULT:

LOAD
APPLIED

INDENTATION
DIA (BY
MICROSCOPE )

DIAMETER OF
INDENTATION
IN MM

STRENGTH OF MATERIAL LAB ME 211 B