2021 Updated: Why Hardness Test Is Important In a Material Characteristic

The hardness test of any material is the properties of that particular thing. It is the property of the material which keeps him revisiting from deformation, scratching, cutting, bending, and abrasion.

You have the business of manufacturing goods then it is very important for you to know about the level of hardness of the materials used in production.

Sometimes the single product is made up of different materials so when you know the hardness of each material you can easily manage the ratio of different materials to make a particular product. There are different hardness tests used according to the physical properties of the material.

Importance of hardness testing

The hardness testing of the different materials is very important in every business such as automotive, structural, failure analysis, quality control, aerospace, and other types of industry.

When you have the proper data about the properties of the particular material, the properties like durability, flexibility, and strength. These properties will help the manufacturers in converting the raw materials to finished goods.

When you are testing the material, the hardness testing comes on an extensive level. Some materials have very simple tests to check their hardness such as water.

And materials have an extensive and long procedure to test their hardness. But technology made hardness testing more simple and quicker than other testing is of the materials. In this era of technology, the hardness testing of some materials is performed by a simple scratching test. Almost all types of hardness tests are performed through inexpensive equipment.

Hardness testing assures the quality

There are many new products that are introduced in the market on a daily basis.

And the materials used in producing these products are new and the processes used to make these products are also the latest.

This type of materials and process plays an important role in supporting innovation and technology, which results in giving a competitive edge to the technology-driven industries.

The manufacturing processes require high-quality material with detailed properties. Without knowing the properties of the materials that are using in the manufacturing process, you can’t make combinations of different materials.

Even no one can make their desired output without knowing the properties of the particular material. The latest manufacturing processes are controlled by computers and need properties with the exact figures to start the manufacturing process.

There are special departments in the companies to ensure the quality of their products, the quality of the product is measured by the quantity or ratio of the specific material used in them. Even they will test the samples of the finished goods to assure the quality of the products.

The hardness is also feasible for the finished goods; sometimes the hardness of the goodwill shows their durability. Even the government sets quality assurance standards to ensure the quality of products in the market.

The hardness test is an essential part of the quality control process; every quality assurance test has the hardness test as the mandatory part in them.

the hardness test of the materials will determine their strength, how long does the material able to bear the maximum temperature and what amount of pressure and load does it can tolerate easily.

Indentation hardness testing

The resistance of any material to deform into the plastic permanently is known as the hardness of the material. There are many different forms of hardness testing such as ultrasonic, electromagnetic, and rebound are used in many applications to test the hardness of different materials.

Indentation hardness is the most useful and reliable type of test, it is a commonly used and easily understandable test.

In this test, the indenter is used with the specified properties on the particular material. The indenter is thrown from the defined length with the defined time to measure the impression of the indenter on it.

The impression of the indenter is larger than expectation than the material is considered to be softer.

Types of hardness tests

There are many different types of hardness tests, but the selection of the hardness depends on the properties of the material.

The common types of hardness tests are Rockwell, Brinell, and Vickers. Every test has some procedures or techniques to test the hardness.

In the Rockwell test, the depth of the indentation is measured and depth shows the percentage of the hardness of the specific material.

The Rockwell test is commonly used for thick and heavy materials such as metals and alloys.

The Brinell is commonly used for measuring the area of indentation, it is used for large scale steel, cast iron, and aluminum works.

In Knoop and Vickers testing, the materials like mounted metallographic are used.

This test is ideal for coatings and thin materials. Some hardness testing is done with the help of the latest devices; these devices are commonly handheld and give results in seconds.

Benefits of the hardness testing

There are many different benefits of hardness testing; the benefits and the advantages of the hardness testing of the materials will depend on the properties of the material and the types of the tester.

If the test is performed for quality assurance then it is beneficial for the company, and if the test is performed in the school lab then it is for the knowledge of the students.

So the benefit of the testing depends on the nature and purpose of the test. Some of the common advantages of hardness testing are described below.

• The hardness of the material will determine its strength and resistance to bending and deforming.
• Hardness testing will ensure the quality of the material.
• Hardness testing is used for making a combination of different materials.
• Hardness testing is done to know the physical properties of the different materials used in production.
• Through hardness testing, you will estimate the life of a particular product.
• The hardness test will show the durability of the materials or products.
• Through hardness testing, you can figure out the hard and soft materials.