BRINELL HARDNESS TEST

INTRO:

Hardness is a characteristic of a material, not a fundamental physical

property. It is defined as the resistance to indentation, and it is determined
by measuring the permanent depth of the indentation. More simply put,
when using a fixed force (load) and a given indenter, the smaller the
indentation, the harder the material. Indentation hardness value is
obtained by measuring the depth or the area of the indentation using one
of over 12 different test methods.

ORIGIN:

Proposed by Swedish engineer Johan August Brinell in 1900, it was the

first widely used and standardised hardness test in engineering and
metallurgy. The large size of indentation and possible damage to test-
piece limits its usefulness. However it also had the useful feature that the
hardness value divided by two gave the approximate UTS in ksi for steels.
This feature contributed to its early adoption over competing hardness
tests.

DETAILS:-

The Brinell hardness test method as used to determine Brinell

hardness, is defined in ASTM E10. Most commonly it is used to test
materials that have a structure that is too coarse or that have a surface
that is too rough to be tested using another test method, e.g., castings
and forgings. Brinell testing often use a very high test load (3000 kgf) and
a 10mm wide indenter so that the resulting indentation averages out most
surface and sub-surface inconsistencies . For softer materials the load can
be reduced to 1500 kg or 500 kg to avoid excessive indentation. The full
load is normally applied for 10 to 15 seconds in the case of iron and steel
and for at least 30 seconds in case other metals. For harder materials, a
tungsten carbide ball is substituted for the steel ball. The indentation is
measured and hardness calculated as:
where:

BHN = Brinell Hardness Number (kgf/mm2)

P = applied load in kilogram-force (kgf)
D = diameter of indenter (mm)
d = diameter of indentation (mm)

ABOUT THE MACHINE(model: AKB-3000):-

This machine is designed for Brinell Hardness measurement on steel &

other ferrous materials & also on non-ferrous materials like Brass,
Bronze, Aluminum, etc. The material can be cast, forged or rolled & the
shape can be flat, round or irregular.
This machine is specially used in production testing. Its stability & unique
design of a floating fulcrum lever system ensure high accuracy &
dependability.
 The load application system is of dead weight type combined with
mechanical lever system. The supporting hydraulic system is for initial
lifting of load before each test & damping the load application system for
smooth application of load.
Test loads from 500 to 3000 kgf in steps of 250kgf.
The height X Throat is 380 X 200 mm.
Indentation measurement by Brinell Microscope of 25 X Magnification.
Special Test fixtures for odd jobs / production testing can be supplied
(Optional)
Computerized Brinell Impression measurement system is available
(Optional)
Manual / Optical / Computerized type Brinell Hardness testing machines
are also available.
Accuracy conforms to IS:2281-2005 & BS:240.

MERITS and DEMERITS:-

Merits:-

1. One scale covers the entire hardness range, although comparable

results can only be obtained if the ball size and test force
relationship is the same

2. A wide range of test forces and b all sizes to suit every application

3. Because of the wide test force range the Brinell test can be used on
almost any metallic material.

4. The part size is only limited by the testing instrument's capacity.

5. Non-destructive, sample can normally be reused.

Demerits:-

1. The main drawback of the Brinell test is the need to optically

measure the indent size. This requires that the test point be finished
well enough to make an accurate measurement

2. Slow. Testing can take 30 seconds not counting the sample

preparation time

ERRORS:

Typically the greatest source of error in Brinell testing is the measurement

of the indentation. Due to disparities in operators making the
measurements, the results will vary even under perfect conditions. Less
than perfect conditions can cause the variation to increase greatly.
Frequently the test surface is prepared with a grinder to remove surface
conditions. The jagged edge makes interpretation of the indentation
difficult. Furthermore, when operators know the specifications limits for
rejects, they may often be influenced to see the measurements in a way
that increases the percentage of good tests and less re-testing.

ERROR RECTIFICATION:

Two types of technological remedies for countering Brinell measurement

error problems have been developed over the years. Automatic optical
Brinell scopes use computers and image analysis to read the indentations
in a consistent manner. This standardization helps eliminate operator
subjectivity so operators are less-prone to automatically view in-tolerance
results when the samples result may be out-of-tolerance.