Hardness Testing Methods
The machinist must be able to obtain a quantitative value for material hardness before machining and/or heat treating. Since hardness is the ability to resist deformation a machine that measures the slightest deformation made by a penetrator while under an applied pressure can serve as a gauge. These deformation marks are measured and then compared to a standard to determine a hardness reading.
Hardness measurements quantify the resistance of a material to plastic deformation. Indentation hardness tests compose the majority of processes used to determine material hardness. The following sections will discuss common hardness testing methods available to help machinists and welders identify the hardness of metals.
Videos
Watch this 3:52 animated video Mechanical Testing of Materials and Metals by Matallurgy Data, August 5, 2021.
Watch this 12:27 video Introduction to Material testing by James Sword Engineering, November 4, 2021.
Derived from Indentation hardness – Wikipedia retrieved 18 January 2024; and The Virtual Machine Shop:
- http://www.jjjtrain.com/vms/eng_metallurgy/eng_metallurgy_05.html
- http://www.jjjtrain.com/vms/eng_heat_treat/eng_heat_treat_07.html,
retrieved from the Wayback Machine internet archive 17 January 2024.
