Project #5 hardness test ENGR 2322 Material science Dr.

Magesh Thiyagarajan

Submitted by: Jonathan McCalip March 30, 2011

Objective It is important in almost every aspect of design and construction to know how a certain material will hold up to forces or wear and tear it may face in action. As engineers, it is our duty to properly apply our knowledge of strength of materials to a job and make decisions accordingly. Although almost every commonly used material has a predetermined value found by other engineers, hardness testing is still a necessary procedure for quality control in any legitimate materials manufacturer complying with ISO standards. In this experiment, we tested a sample of c1018 steel, and 2024 aluminum for their Rockwell hardness value. It was found that c1018 steel had a value of 15.7HRC, and 2024 aluminum of 75.8HRB. These conform relatively close to standards from www.matweb.com, and are thus a reasonable approximation of hardness. Materials: Rockwell 574 Series Hardness Tester sample -2024 aluminum-1x1x2 cm sample -carbon 1018-1x1x2 cm 1/16 Hardened steel ball indenter Diamond cone indenter Rockwell B Scale test block Introduction: When constructing a high-rise building, or any modern structure for that matter, it is vitally important to know the hardness value of the material being used. So what is hardness? It can be defined as the resistance to bend, shape, puncture, or scratch a material. There are three standard methods for hardness testing, including scratch, indention, and rebound. For our test purposes, we used indention testing, which commonly utilizes Brinell, Rockwell, and Vickers methods. The difference being that Rockwell bases values of hardness from measures of indention depth, and Brinell and Vickers by indention diameter or area. In this experiment, two tests were performed using the standard Rockwall method to determine the Hardness value of carbon 1018 Steel and 2024 aluminum alloy. Each test was performed ten times for redundancy, and then results evaluated. It was found that our experimental numbers were consistently close to accepted values, thus it was confirmed that our material composition of each material was correct, and without major structural compromise.

As mentioned above, this experiment utilized the Rockwell method of hardness testing. Although we know a Rockwell hardness test involves indenting the material and measuring depth, it is important to understand how the machine conducts this test. To began, the user applies a preliminary minor load(A), to break the surface of the specimen and allow for a zero point. The machine applies a major load(B), of either 100 or 150kg force. It then holds the major load force for a few seconds to allow for elastic recovery, and then the major force is released, leaving the minor load applied, and the depth measured and converted to a hardness value.
Figure 1: Diamond cone Rockwell test

http://www.gordonengland.co.uk/hardness/rockwell.htm Figure 6

This test was also performed using the HRB and HRC scales. Generally, the HRB scale is used for softer materials like copper, aluminum, or soft steels, and HRC for harder materials like steel or iron or other materials harder than 120HRB. It was hopeful, that the test would perform to perform to accepted standard of hardness 71HRB, and 10HRC for aluminum and steel respectively.

Experimental Procedure: To began, a Rockwell B Scale test block was used to confirm the accuracy of the machine. It was found that the machine was within a value range to the test block, which is tested to 1 value by factory standards. This means our hardness tester is at least within a degree of value of accuracy. For each side of the specimen touching the machine, it was ground and polished to remove scale and rust, and a flat level surface was insured. Next, the proper indenter was placed into the machine, and the proper major load amount adjusted. The test type was then set to either HRB, or HRC, and the specimen was placed so that the indenter would not contact a previous site or a corner, and the minor load set by hand. After the minor load was confirmed by the machine, it began the major load process and approximated a value of hardness. This was repeated ten times for each material, and the results tabulated below in Table 1. Each new site was positioned to maximize surface area of the specimen. Photos of the experiment are given in figures 2-5. A magnified view in figure 3 and 5 shows the difference in penetration shape of the 1/16 carbide ball versus diamond cone.

Experimental Results:
Figure 2: 2024 aluminum HRB test Figure 3: 2024 aluminum HRB test(magnified)

Figure 4: c1018 steel HRC test

Figure 5: c1018 steel HRC test(magnified)

Table 1

Discussion: After reviewing the results, the average value for the test of 1018 steel was 12.5HRC(92HRB) and for aluminum 2024, 75HRB. Our 75HRB experimental value of aluminum is exactly the value of T3 2024 aluminum as found on www.matweb.com. However, our 92HRB value for 1018 steel was at least 20HRB higher than as listed on www.matweb.com. Since we do not know the exact material we our given, it is possible that the steel was heat treated or hardened prior to our testing. 1018 steel showed a higher shear modulus in previous charpy testing than 2024 aluminum, and its hardness is in fact higher. The fact that we did not meet steels accepted value does not mean we are wrong, it just means that we cannot explain what treatment the steel was given. After all, prior to this, three HRB tests were performed on a test block, and gave accurate results. Conclusions: After weighing different factors, it is reasonable to say that this experiment was a success for the most part. We achieved a hardness value for aluminum that was precisely matching the theoretical value for 2024 grade. With the steel sample, we achieved a close enough value to conclude that it must be a variation of 1018 steel. Thus we can say with a certain degree of accuracy, steel will generally have a

higher hardness level than aluminum. This hardness comes from the fact that steel has a higher atomic packing factor, making it denser.

Citations:

"Rockwell Hardness Testers - 6 Portable, Bench, Automatic Systems." Ndtnet.com. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ndtnet.com/m/newage/rockwell-hardness-testers.htm>.

Citation added: "Rockwell Hardness Test." Thermal Spray Coatings. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. <http://www.gordonengland.co.uk/hardness/rockwell.htm>.

Speech. Hardness important Friction Surface hardness Wear Camshaft, knives, ect

Differences between: Rockwell, measures depth. Vickers, brinell, width/area 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. minor load by hand major load by machine hold for elastic deformation major force released converts into value

procedure. Test block to ensure accuracy. 82.49. got with a couple percent accuracy. Ground sample flat, and sanded smooth to remove scale and rust. Repeated 10x.