ALqudis Univirsity

Material Engineering Department

Laboratory Introduction To Material

Vickers Hardness Testing(6)

Wissam Abed Al-Baqi

21911517
Dr. Ahmad jabareen
Introduction
Hardness is a characteristic of a material, not a fundamental physical
property. It is defined as the resistance to indentation, and it is determined by
measuring the permanent depth of the indentation.

More simply put, when using a fixed force (load) and a given indenter, the
smaller the indentation, the harder the material. Indentation hardness value is
obtained by measuring the depth or the area of the indentation using one of
over 12 different test methods.

The Vickers hardness test method, also referred to as a micro hardness test
method, is mostly used for small parts, thin sections, or case depth work. The
Vickers method is based on an optical measurement system. The Micro
hardness test procedure, ASTM E-384, specifies a range of light loads using a
diamond indenter to make an indentation which is measured and converted to
a hardness value. A square base pyramid shaped diamond with an angle of 136
degrees between opposite faces is used for testing in the Vickers scale.
Typically loads are very light, ranging from 10gm to 1kgf, although "Macro"
Vickers loads can range up to 30 kg or more. The full load is normally applied
for 10 to 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.
HV=1.8544*F/D2

F= Load in kgf
d = Arithmetic mean of the two diagonals, d1 and d2 in mm

HV = Vickers hardness

When the mean diagonal of the indentation has been determined the Vickers
hardness may be calculated from the formula, but is more convenient to use
conversion tables. The Vickers hardness should be reported like 800 HV/10,
which means a Vickers hardness of 800, was obtained using a 10 kgf force.
 Since the test indentation is very small in a Vickers test, it is
useful for a variety of applications: testing very thin materials like
foils or measuring the surface of a part, small parts or small areas, measuring
individual microstructures, or measuring the depth of case hardening by
sectioning a part and making a series of indentations to describe a profile of
the change in hardness.

Sectioning is usually necessary with a micro hardness test in order to provide a

small enough specimen that can fit into the tester. Additionally, the sample
preparation will need to make the specimen’s surface smooth to permit a
regular indentation shape and good measurement, and to ensure the sample
can be held perpendicular to the indenter.

Often the prepared samples are mounted in a plastic medium to facilitate the
preparation and testing. The indentations should be as large as possible to
maximize the measurement resolution. (Error is magnified as indentation sizes
decrease) The test procedure is subject to problems of operator influence on
the test results.

The Vickers method has the following advantages:

 The Vickers method can be used with any and all materials and test
specimens, from soft to hard, as the procedure covers the entire hardness
range.
 There is only one type of indenter, which can be used for all Vickers methods.
 Non-destructive testing is possible, so the test specimen can be used for other
purposes.

The Vickers method has the following disadvantages:

 The surface quality of the specimen must be good, because the indent is
measured optically. This means that the test location must be prepared (ground
and polished), otherwise precise evaluation is difficult.
 The process is rather slow (compared with the Rockwell method). The test
cycle takes somewhere between 30 and 60 seconds, not including the time
taken to prepare the specimen.
 Due to the need to conduct optical indent evaluation, Vickers hardness testers
must be equipped with an optical system, which makes them more expensive
to purchase than Rockwell testers.
Used Equipment Cylindrical specimens of different metallic alloys:
- Steel- iron alloy.
- Brass- copper alloy.
- Aluminum alloy.
- Vickers hardness tester.
- Grinder polisher machine.
- Sic paper.
- Polishing cloth

Method
1- 1-Prepare the specimen by grinding and polishing.
2- Set the Vickers hardness tester to a suitable load force.
3- Set the specimen in place.
4- Manipulate the microscope to bring the specimen in focus while looking
through the eyepiece lens.
5- Press on the load button.
6- Measure both diagonals of the indent.

When using the Vickers hardness testing method, it is usually necessary to

prepare the surface of the specimen to be tested, as the specimen surface
quality requirements are significantly stricter than those for the Rockwell
method, in which it is sufficient for the surface to be free of impurities.

In detail, the specimen to be measured should meet the following

requirements for the Vickers method:

 The specimen should be polished (micro hardness testing) or precision-

ground (macro hardness testing).
 The specimen should preferably be clamped strongly, so that it cannot move
during the testing proce2ss (practical tip: measure with nose cone resp. with
suitable test anvil, fix embedded specimen in a specimen holder).
 In addition, to avoid affecting the test result, care must be taken to ensure that
the test is not disturbed by any shock or vibration (an anti-vibration table,
etc., may be required).
Results
F = 0.5 Kgf

Steel: Cu AL

D1 = 64.8 µm D1:88.2 µm D1:97.6 µm

D2 = 65.2 µm D2:89.4 µm D2:96.9 µm

HV = 219.5 HV:117.6 HV:98.0

Calculate And Data

HV=1.845*F/d2

HV(STEEL)=1.845*0.5/(d1+d2/2)2

=922.5/4225

=2.2183

HV(Cu)=1.845*0.5/(d1+d2/2)2

=922.5/7885.4

=0.1169

HV(Al)=1.845*0.5/(d1+d2/2)2

=922.5/9457.5

0.0975

:Discussion
The results were fairly good, as the surfaces of the samples were clearly seen, taking
into account the errors in the drilling or milling itself, and we saw some movements
on the surface and this was due to errors in the drilling, and the acid did not dry
completely, but overall it was a kind of good results, we were able to see
Microstructure of the sample. Blurred areas of the surface also indicate poor
grinding and this is why some scratches appear. In addition to see what happens to
the sample when exposed to a certain strength and made some calculations either
.for the presence of error due to not clean the surface of the sample only well