Considerations Before Performing Portable Hardness Testing


Portable hardness testers help perform hardness testing on-site or in-situ. This form of testing is required for two reasons – to confirm that the test piece meets required specifications and to check the quality of a new sample test piece.

There are different known methods of conducting portable hardness test. However, before choosing a particular method over another, these parameters of the material and the process needs to be considered thoroughly:

  1. The material type of the sample that is being tested.
  2. If there is an approximate value of the hardness of the material?
  3. Whether the material is homogeneous or heterogeneous?
  4. What is the size of the material being tested?
  5. Does the testing result need to be compliant with a specific standard?
  6. How accurate the testing result needs to be?
  7. What are the number of samples that need to be tested?
  8. Whether the test piece needs to be mounted or not for carrying out the test?
Other factors that impact the hardness testing

Accuracy of the test is vital. Hence, it is important to consider not only the test sample that is to be tested, one also needs to ensure that other external factors too are in control for conducting the test.

  • Factors like the temperature and humidity need to be under control.
  • Presence of dirt in the testing environment needs to be controlled.
  • The testing base/surface should be a horizontal table that is strong and sturdy – for macro hardness, it is okay to use the ground while for micro hardness, the surface should be electropolished or mechanically polished.
  • The sample being tested should be clamped or held in place properly.
  • It is highly crucial that the indenter is placed perpendicular to the testing plane.
  • Proper calibration of the tester should be done at each and every step.
  • For tests that require illumination, like the Vickers or the Brinell test, the light setting should be consistent throughout the test.
  • The testing environment should feature only required vibrations.
Hardness testing is a very important step in quality control. Hence, it is crucial that all aspects related to the test is duly followed before the testing starts.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How does ultrasonic testing help?

  Do you have any idea about any testing we can perform without object destruction? There is one such technique called non-destructive testing method which we can use. It is ultrasonic testing which is the best to detect flaws and defects without damaging the object. This test is one of the best to check for any corrosion or defects.  You can avoid part failure or destruction of the entire asset by using it periodically. As a result, you can find its application in the various industries. What is Ultrasonic testing? Ultrasonic testing is a non-destructive testing method that uses sound waves to detect thickness, cracks and defects in components and materials. For example, this method is effective for determining the pipe thickness and wall thickness. What is the working principle of Ultrasonic testing? Ultrasonic testing uses a   piezoelectric transducer that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. It is the basic form of a pulse-receiver and oscilloscope display. The tr...
Read more

Use of Ultrasonic Testing in the Power Generation Industry

Ultrasonic testing is a method used for determining the thickness of a structure with the help of sound waves. These sound waves are of high frequency, and this method is a reliable non-destructive method used in the power generation industry. There is no need to cut the test piece or use any chemical that might deteriorate it. The sound waves travel through the surface of even sturdy metals and help determine the thickness.   How does Ultrasonic Testing work? High-frequency sound waves that are way beyond the limit of the human ear get induced in this non-destructive testing technique. The test is performed under the supervision of an expert only. They can do the setup with proper requirement standards. Devices are used to induce the sound waves into the material in question. These sound waves can penetrate through any surface except for paper or wooden products. After passing through the surface, the sound wave is reflected when hitting the boundary and is returned to th...
Read more

Ultrasonic Testing - Applications and Advantages of Ultrasonic NDT in Industry

Ultrasonic testing is a non-destructive testing method that is used commonly for -        Detecting cracks, defects and faults in a test piece; -        Measuring the dimensions of a test piece; -        Understanding the nature or character of a material; How is the test carried out? The testing unit or system consists of a receiver, transducer, and a display unit. The receiver or pulse is the unit that produces electrical pulses. The transducer then produces ultrasonic energy in high frequency. This sound energy or wave passes through the test piece. If the material has no-fault, it will behave as a standard piece – however, when there is a crack, fault, or break in between, the wave is intercepted by this fault line from where the wave reflects. This reflected wave or echo is then converted by the transducer into an electrical signal. This electrical signal gets displayed on the s...
Read more