JABATAN KEJURUTERAAN MEKANIKAL

POLITEKNIK KUCHING SARAWAK

KM 22, JALAN MATANG, BEG BERKUNCI 3094
93050 KUCHING, SARAWAK

MUHAMMAD SAIFUL BIN JULAIHI

Name & (05DKM22F1085)
Registration No HAZIQ MAHDAWI BIN ARSHAD
(05DKM22F1009)
YOHANESS EARRAN AMIN ANAK ROGER
MAMBU
(05DKM22F1029)
RYAN SOLANO ANAK CHARLES
(05DKM22F1015)
Program DKM3-S3
Course DJJ30113 / MATERIAL SCIENCE ENGINEERING
Experiment No. LAB 3 VICKERS HARDNESS TEST
Due Date
ENCIK ROSLI BIN SAAD
Lecturers Name

REPORT MARKING SCHEME

 CLO NO CRITERIA MARKS (%) COMMENT
1 Introduction 10
2 Procedure 20
3 Result 20
4 Discussion 25
CLO
2

5 Conclusion 10
6 References 10
7 Appearance / Formatting 5
TOTAL 100

DJJ30113
COURSE CODE / COURSE NAME:
MATERIAL SCIENCE ENGINEERING
SESSION: 1: 2023/2024
JABATAN KEJURUTERAAN MEKANIKAL
ASSESSMENT (%): LAB 3 (2.5%)
CLO2, P4: PLO
5
Performed appropriate material Apply appropriate technique, DP 1 (Depth of knowledge
testing according to the Standard resources and modern required) DP 3 (Depth of analysis
Operating Procedures. engineering and its tool to well required) DP 4 (Familiarity of
defined engineering problems issues)
with an awareness of the DP 3 (Procedural formulating
limitations of engineering fundamentals)
DK6 (Practical engineering knowledge)
NAME MUHAMMAD SAIFUL BIN JULAIHI CLO 2
HAZIQ MAHDAWI BIN ARSHAD DURATION -
YOHANESS EARRAN AMIN ANAK ROGER
MAMBU
RYAN SOLANO ANAK CHARLES
REGISTRATION NO. 05DKM22F1085
05DKM22F1009
05DKM22F1029
05DKM22F1015
PROGRAMME/SECTION DKM3- TOTAL MARKS
S3 /
DKM3C

LAB 3: (VICKERS HARDNESS TEST)

 1.0 Course Learning Outcomes (CLO)
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: -
a) Organize appropriately experiments in groups according to the standard of
procedures. (P4, PLO4)
b) Demonstrate ability to work in team to complete assigned tasks during practical work
sessions. (A3, PLO7)

2.0 Introduction
The Vickers hardness test was developed in 1921 by Robert L. Smith and George E.
Sandland at Vickers Ltd as an alternative to the Brinell method to measure the hardness of
materials. The Vickers test is often easier to use than other hardness tests since the required
calculations are independent of the size of the indenter, and the indenter can be used for all
materials irrespective of hardness. The Vickers hardness test uses a square base diamond
pyramid as the indenter. The included angle between the opposite face of the pyramid is
136°. The Vickers hardness tester operates on the same basic principle as the Brinell tester,
the numbers being expressed in terms of load and area of the impression. As a result of the
indenter’s shape, the impression on the surface of the specimen will be a square. The length
of the diagonal of the square is measured through a microscope fitted with an ocular
micrometer that contains movable knife-edges.

3.0 Instructions

I. Place the specimen on the vice.

II. Lower the indenter by just touches the specimen surface.
III. Set appropriate load (F=120kg/f) for the indenter for 10 seconds.
IV. Allow the indenter to penetrate the specimen surface.
V. Remove load and raise indenter from the specimen surface.
VI. Measure the indentation (diameter) by using 55X Lens.
VII. Repeat the above steps for two times at different locations on the specimen and
compute the average value by the formula below:
VIII. If the test was done by a computerized machine, record the calculated measurement
given by the result from the machine.

when using objective lens 55X is used,

d=a × 0.368
(d=µm)
Where,
a = reading of measuring eyepieces
F= Load in gf

or,
Refer to the TABLE FOR VICKERS HARDNESS NUMBER book sheet, find the Vickers
number for every size measurement.

4.0 Apparatus

1) Samples from previous heat treatment experiment.

2) Micro Hardness Tester-MVK-E

5.0 Results

Parameters First Reading Second Reading Third Reading

D1 (µm) 153.1 151.7 153.5

D2 (µm) 159.0 151.7 153.5

Hardness 9136.2 9667.6 9442.2

(HV)

Average 9415.3
Hardness
(HV)

6.0 Discussion
1) What are the advantages of Vickers Hardness Test?
- The Vickers Hardness Test can measure the entire range of hardness values as it
can evaluate all the materials and samples used for the test, whether they are soft
or hard in texture. Vickers Hardness Test also has increased accuracy in
determining the diagonal of a square as opposed to the diameter of a circle.

2) What is the limitation of Vickers Hardness Test?

- The Vickers Hardness Test has its own limitations. The test location for Vickers
Hardness Test must be prepared (ground and polished), otherwise precise
evaluation is difficult. The process is rather slow compared to Rockwell Hardness
Test. Moreover, some critics argue that at lower loads, there is a degree of bias
that sets in. Some test materials are pre-coated, in which case the thickness of the
 coating affects the accuracy of the measurement for micro-indentations. To
overcome this problem, advancements in the field of nanotechnology have
resulted in the development of nano-indentation methods.

3) How does Vickers Tester Work?

- The test consists of applying a force (load) on the test material using a diamond
indenter, to obtain an indentation. The depth of indentation on the material gives
the value of hardness for the specimen. In general, the smaller the indentation, the
harder the tests, depending on the force that is applied to the test material. The
Vickers Hardness Test and Rockwell Hardness Test are most used tests that can be
used for both micro-indentation and macro-indentation.

4) List another THREE types of hardness test?

- Brinell Hardness Test
- Rockwell Hardness Test
- Mohs Hardness Test

7.0 Conclusion
The Vickers Hardness Test is easy to use, quite accurate for the measurement of hardness of a
material and its benefit far outweighs any potential disadvantages. The versatility of its use is
the fact that it can be used to measure the hardness of almost any type of material still makes
it very attractive and widely applicable in industry research and development.

8.0 Suggestion
When doing the hardness tests, the minimum distance between indentation and the distance
from the indentation to the edge of the specimen must be considered to avoid interaction
between the work-hardened regions and effects of the edge. These minimum distances are
different for ISO 6507-1 and ASTM E384 standards.
Vickers values are generally independent of the test force, they will come out the same for
500 Kg/f. and 50 Kg/f, if the force is at least 200 Kg/f. However, lower load indents often
display a dependence of hardness on indent depth known as the indentation size effect (ISE).
Small indent sizes will also have microstructure-dependent hardness value.

9.0 References
 Vickers hardness testing: ISO 6507, ASTM E384 | ZwickRoell
 Applied Sciences | Free Full-Text | Vickers Hardness Value Test via Multi-Task Learning
Convolutional Neural Networks and Image Augmentation (mdpi.com)
 Vickers Hardness Testing - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics