Hardness Testing

The hardness testing of materials, particularly metals, alloys and to some extent ceramics, is one of the most direct ways of obtaining a measure of mechanical properties.

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In a heat treatment shop the rapid measurement with a Rockwell hardness tester will provide a simple and accurate means of product quality control.

 

When a precise measurement of hardness is required on small areas such as sealing surfaces, or the grains revealed in polished and etched metallographic sections, then a microhardness test is warranted. This test, often using a small diamond indenter and a load as low as 100grams, can provide crucial information not accessible by conventional Rockwell, Brinell or Vickers hardness testers.