The Brinell Hardness Test
The Brinell hardness test method consists of indenting the test material with a 10 mm diameter
hardened steel or carbide ball subjected to a load of 3000 kg. 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 the case of other
metals. The diameter of the indentation left in the test material is measured with a low powered
microscope. The Brinell harness number is calculated by dividing the load applied by the surface
area of the indentation.
The diameter of the impression is the average of two readings at right angles and the use of a
Brinell hardness number table can simplify the determination of the Brinell hardness. A well
structured Brinell hardness number reveals the test conditions, and looks like this, "75 HB
10/500/30" which means that a Brinell Hardness of 75 was obtained using a 10mm diameter
hardened steel with a 500 kilogram load applied for a period of 30 seconds. On tests of extremely
hard metals a tungsten carbide ball is substituted for the steel ball. Compared to the other
hardness test methods, the Brinell ball makes the deepest and widest indentation, so the test
averages the hardness over a wider amount of material, which will more accurately account for
multiple grain structures and any irregularities in the uniformity of the material. This method is
the best for achieving the bulk or macro-hardness of a material, particularly those materials with
heterogeneous structures.
Vickers Hardness Test
The Vickers hardness test method consists of indenting the test material with a diamond indenter, in the
form of a right pyramid with a square base and an angle of 136 degrees between opposite faces
subjected to a load of 1 to 100 kgf. The full load is normally applied for 10 to 15 seconds. The two
diagonals of the indentation left in the surface of the material after removal of the load are measured
using a microscope and their average calculated. The area of the sloping surface of the indentation is
calculated. The Vickers hardness is the quotient obtained by dividing the kgf load by the square mm area
of indentation.
F= Load in kgf
d = Arithmetic mean of the two diagonals, d1 and d2 in mm
HV = Vickers hardness
When the mean diagonal of the indentation has been determined the Vickers hardness may be
calculated from the formula, but is more convenient to use conversion tables. The Vickers hardness
should be reported like 800 HV/10, which means a Vickers hardness of 800, was obtained using a 10 kgf
force. Several different loading settings give practically identical hardness numbers on uniform material,
which is much better than the arbitrary changing of scale with the other hardness testing methods. The
advantages of the Vickers hardness test are that extremely accurate readings can be taken, and just one
type of indenter is used for all types of metals and surface treatments. Although thoroughly adaptable
and very precise for testing the softest and hardest of materials, under varying loads, the Vickers
machine is a floor standing unit that is more expensive than the Brinell or Rockwell machines.
Vickers Hardness Number Calculator
Force (kgf) Enter value
Mean diagonal length d (mm) Enter value
HV Result
There is now a trend towards reporting Vickers hardness in SI units (MPa or GPa) particularly in
academic papers. Unfortunately, this can cause confusion. Vickers hardness (e.g. HV/30) value should
normally be expressed as a number only (without the units kgf/mm 2). Rigorous application of SI is a
problem. Most Vickers hardness testing machines use forces of 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, 50 and 100 kgf and tables
for calculating HV. SI would involve reporting force in newtons (compare 700 HV/30 to HV/294 N = 6.87
GPa) which is practically meaningless and messy to engineers and technicians. To convert a Vickers
hardness number the force applied needs converting from kgf to newtons and the area needs
converting form mm2 to m2 to give results in pascals using the formula above.
To convert HV to MPa multiply by 9.807
To convert HV to GPa multiply by 0.009807
Rockwell Hardness Test
The Rockwell hardness test method consists of indenting the test material with a diamond cone or
hardened steel ball indenter. The indenter is forced into the test material under a preliminary minor
load F0 (Fig. 1A) usually 10 kgf. When equilibrium has been reached, an indicating device, which follows
the movements of the indenter and so responds to changes in depth of penetration of the indenter is
set to a datum position. While the preliminary minor load is still applied an additional major load is
applied with resulting increase in penetration (Fig. 1B). When equilibrium has again been reach, the
additional major load is removed but the preliminary minor load is still maintained. Removal of the
additional major load allows a partial recovery, so reducing the depth of penetration (Fig. 1C). The
permanent increase in depth of penetration, resulting from the application and removal of the
additional major load is used to calculate the Rockwell hardness number.
HR = E - e
F0 = preliminary minor load in kgf
F1 = additional major load in kgf
F = total load in kgf
e = permanent increase in depth of penetration due to major load F1 measured in units of 0.002 mm
E = a constant depending on form of indenter: 100 units for diamond indenter, 130 units for steel ball
indenter
HR = Rockwell hardness number
D = diameter of steel ball
Fig. 1.Rockwell Principle
Rockwell Hardness Scales
Minor Load Major Load Total Load
Value of
Scale Indenter F0 F1 F
E
kgf kgf kgf
A Diamond cone 10 50 60 100
B 1/16" steel ball 10 90 100 130
C Diamond cone 10 140 150 100
D Diamond cone 10 90 100 100
E 1/8" steel ball 10 90 100 130
F 1/16" steel ball 10 50 60 130
G 1/16" steel ball 10 140 150 130
H 1/8" steel ball 10 50 60 130
K 1/8" steel ball 10 140 150 130
L 1/4" steel ball 10 50 60 130
M 1/4" steel ball 10 90 100 130
P 1/4" steel ball 10 140 150 130
R 1/2" steel ball 10 50 60 130
S 1/2" steel ball 10 90 100 130
V 1/2" steel ball 10 140 150 130
Typical Application of Rockwell Hardness Scales
HRA . . . . Cemented carbides, thin steel and shallow case hardened steel
HRB . . . . Copper alloys, soft steels, aluminium alloys, malleable irons, etc.
HRC . . . . Steel, hard cast irons, case hardened steel and other materials harder than 100 HRB
HRD . . . . Thin steel and medium case hardened steel and pearlitic malleable iron
HRE . . . . Cast iron, aluminium and magnesium alloys, bearing metals
HRF . . . . Annealed copper alloys, thin soft sheet metals
HRG . . . . Phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, malleable irons HRH . . . . Aluminium, zinc, lead
HRK . . . . }
HRL . . . . }
HRM . . . .} . . . . Soft bearing metals, plastics and other very soft materials
HRP . . . . }
HRR . . . . }
HRS . . . . }
HRV . . . . }
Advantages of the Rockwell hardness method include the direct Rockwell hardness number readout and
rapid testing time. Disadvantages include many arbitrary non-related scales and possible effects from
the specimen support anvil (try putting a cigarette paper under a test block and take note of the effect
on the hardness reading! Vickers and Brinell methods don't suffer from this effect).
