TENGKU MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM SALAHUDDIN BIN TENGKU AHMAD KEM110056

HARDNESS TEST

UNIVERSITI MALAYA LAPORAN MAKMAL TAHUN SATU SESI 2011/2012

TAJUK UJIKAJI: HARDNESS TEST

NO. K. MATRIK: KEM110056 NAMA: TENGKU MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM SALAHUDDIN BIN TENGKU AHMAD SUBJEK: BASIC MATERIAL SCIENCE

TENGKU MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM SALAHUDDIN BIN TENGKU AHMAD KEM110056

HARDNESS TEST

Title:
Hardness Test

Objective:
To compare the hardness of different material ( steel ; which is ASSAB, carbon steel and mild steel)

Abstract:
Objective of this experiment is to determine the hardness of the material. The Hardness test is divided into three different types of test, which are Vickers hardness test, Rockwell hardness test, Brinell hardness test and Charpy Impact test. In Vickers hardness test, Mild steel and carbon steel are being tested. Same for Rockwell hardness test and Brinell hardness test, the steel used is tested by impact load. But the scale of the force used and the technic is varied with one another. Introduction: Hardness is the measure of solid matter resistance to various kinds of permanent shape change when a force is applied (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardness), Resistance of metal to plastic deformation, usually by indentation (The Metals Handbook). Hardness is also defined as a obstruction material for concavity material. In this experiment, we are going to test the hardness of the metals by using several methods, which are Vicker Hardness Test, Rockwell Hardness Test, Brinell Hardness Test and Charpy Impact test. 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 5 to 120 kgf. The full load is normally applied for 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.

TENGKU MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM SALAHUDDIN BIN TENGKU AHMAD KEM110056

HARDNESS TEST

F= Load in kgf

d=
HV = Vickers hardness HV=

= 1.854

(estimated)

Rockwell hardness test By using scale C , concavity is a cone diamond with load of 150 kgf. The full load is normally applied for 15 seconds. Firstly , small load is use and change to zero. Then additional load is added to get some concavity, d. Then Rockwell hardness is calculated by equation :

Where, d=concavity Brinell hardness test From Brinell hardness test, the harden steel ball with diameter, D under the load of 1000kgf within 15 second will be use to get the concavity effect, d. Brinell hardness number (BHN) is calculated by equation :

TENGKU MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM SALAHUDDIN BIN TENGKU AHMAD KEM110056

HARDNESS TEST

Experimental Procedure: Vickers Hardness Test 1) The specimen (mild steel) is correctly place on anvil of the Vickers Hardness instrument. 2) The specimen is being focused and changed it below the indenter exactly. 3) The START button is pressed and the machine will shine with the sound showed that the machine is readily operated. 4) When the START light goes off, the indenter is assured that it doesnt touches the specimens surface. 5) Change the indenter with the lens. 6) The width of the corner is measured and recorded. 7) Step 1-6 is repeated for the other area of the steel and for the carbonate steel

Rockwell Hardness Test 1) The specimen is correctly placed on the anvil of the Rockwell Hardness instrument. 2) The base of the instrument is slowly rotated the LED will started to move until it reaches SET. 3) The test is automatically started. 4) The reading is taken after TI 5) Step 1-4 is repeated for the other area of the steel

Brinell Hardness Test 1) The mild steel was placed correctly on the anvil of the instrument. 2) The base of the instrument is slowly rotated until the specimen touches the indenter. 3) The right holder of the machine is adjusted until it reaches the 1000kgf load and wait until 15 minutes. 4) The holder is moved forward again. 5) The base is anti-clockwise rotated.

TENGKU MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM SALAHUDDIN BIN TENGKU AHMAD KEM110056 6) The specimen is removed, and the reading is taken by using the microscope. 7) Step 1-4 is repeated for carbonate steel

HARDNESS TEST

Charpy Test 1) The indenter specimen is positioned at the maximum heights and at the stress-concentrating notch. 2) The pendulum is swing from the initial height to the final heights towards the piece. 3) The necessary to fracture the test piece is directly calculated from difference heights

RESULTS: Table 1: Vickers Hardness Test Reading Vickers hardness Number (VHN) Carbon steel 1 2 3 average 237 243 230 237 Mild steel 116 118 119 118

Table 2: Rockwell hardness test Reading High carbon steel 1 2 3 average 27.2 26.2 26.8 26.7 HRC ASSAB 55.9 57.8 56.3 56.7

TENGKU MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM SALAHUDDIN BIN TENGKU AHMAD KEM110056 Table 3: Brinell Hardness Test Reading Brinell hardness Number (BHN) Carbon steel 1 2 3 average 185 159 171 172

HARDNESS TEST

Mild steel 76.3 76.3 75.1 75.9

Table 4: Charpy impact test Metals Carbon steel Mild steel Energy absorb(J) 19 299

TENGKU MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM SALAHUDDIN BIN TENGKU AHMAD KEM110056 Discussion:

HARDNESS TEST

Vickers hardness test, Brinell hardness test and Charpy impact test using mild steel and carbon steel while Rockwell hardness test using high carbon steel and ASSAB steel. This is due to the different characteristic of metals to withstand the load applied to the metals. From the Vickers hardness test, carbon steel shows that it has a higher Vickers hardness number (VHN) than the mild steel that is VHN (average) for carbon steel is 172 while VHN for mild 75.9. This shows that carbon steel is harder than mild steel. This is because carbon steel has a higher percentage of carbon atom in iron compare to mild steel. As a result the dislocation for carbon steel is harder as there are a lot of obstruction by carbon atom when the layer try to slip. From Rockwell harness test (scale c), ASSAB steel has higher Rockwell hardness number than high carbon steel which is HRC for ASSAB steel is 56.7compare to HRC for carbon steel 26.7. This shows that, ASSAB Steel is harder than high carbon steel. This is may due to the process undergo when fabricating the steel for ASSAB Steel. It undergo the high heat treatment and course the lattice arrangement in ASSAB Steel is different from the normal carbon steel and therefore make it a harder than carbon steel. From Brinell Hardness Test, Carbon Steel has a higher Brinell hardness number (BHN) than mild steel. This shows that carbon steel is harder than mild steel i.e. the BHN for carbon steel is 172 compare to mild steel the BHN is 75.9. The value of VHN and BHN for carbon steel is higher than mild steel. In Charpy impact test, mild steel absorbs more energy than carbon steel. This is because mild steel has higher plasticity properties and the carbon steel has high carbon that makes it more ductile. HRC value of ASSAB steel is higher than high carbon steel, due to the ductile of carbon.

TENGKU MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM SALAHUDDIN BIN TENGKU AHMAD KEM110056

HARDNESS TEST

Charpy Impact Test:

Mild Steel

Carbon Steel From the experiment, we can see that the specimens are fractured differently. The mild steel fracture did not break completely and some part of the steel still attached therefore it is said to be in the ductile manner. The carbon steel is said to being brittle manner although it is harder. The carbon steel are fractured completely. Ductile fracture is better because of the following reasons: a. More energy needed in the ductile fracture because it is a tough material b. Brittle fracture happens quickly without warning while the ductile fracture took a longer time before the whole process to happen

Conclusion:
From these experiment, we can find that ASSAB steel is the hardest steel followed by high carbon steel, carbon steel and mild steel. From the aspect of strenghness, mild steel has the most strength than carbon steel. In the aspect of ductility, based on Charpy Impact test, mild steel has a high level of ductility than carbon steel. The resistance of mild steel towards a sudden impact is also higher compared to carbon steel. Mild steel is tougher than carbon steel.

TENGKU MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM SALAHUDDIN BIN TENGKU AHMAD KEM110056

HARDNESS TEST

Reference:

1. Laboratory worksheet

2. Callister, William D. Fundamentals of Materials Science and Engineering : An Inegrated Approach. 2nd ed. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2005.

3. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardness