The suitability of the material used for a part is very important to the part’s ability to function in its intended environment. One of the factors that determines the suitability of a material for a project is material hardness. It determines whether your project requires a high hardness material such as steel or softer materials.
Material hardness is the ability of a material to withstand force without deformation, scratching, penetration and indentation. In other words, it is the ability of a material to retain its physical properties in the face of applied force.
Hardness varies for many materials, with materials such as steel having a higher hardness than others such as tin. Some other non-metallic materials such as wood and plastics also have soft metallic properties.
The hardness of materials depends on several factors such as their plasticity, elastic stiffness, ductility, toughness, elongation, strength, viscoelasticity and viscosity.
Materials behave differently under different conditions. For example, a material may withstand a huge one-time impact yet, can’t withstand continuous loading. Therefore, you must perform material hardness to suit the needs of your project.
We can categorize material hardness into three. Materials have different values under these different types of hardness. They include:
Machinists define scratch hard as a material’s ability to resist surface scratches caused by a sharper, more rigid material. Scratch testing is used for brittle materials like ceramics to ensure they can withstand friction without losing their smooth surface. This is crucial for parts requiring friction, as materials with low scratch hardness may quickly degrade, affecting machine functionality and increasing repair costs. Performing a scratch hard test helps determine if a material can maintain its integrity under friction.
Dynamic hardness, also known as rebound hardness, refers to a material’s ability to resist deformation and regain its original shape after an external force is removed, demonstrating elastic hardness rather than plastic hardness. To test rebound hardness, machinists use an indenter with known hard to measure how well a material can absorb and return impact energy. This can be measured by dropping a diamond-tipped hammer on the material and observing how close the hammer bounces back to its original height; a higher rebound indicates higher dynamic hard.
Machinists use indentation hardness to assess a material’s resistance to deformation by applying a continuous load until an impression is formed. This test can be performed on both microscopic and macroscopic scales, depending on the material and its intended use. Engineers and metallurgists often refer to indentation hardness to determine how much load a material can bear before deforming.
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