hardness test
Introduction
The hardness test allows us to determine the resistance that a material offers to being scratched or penetrated by a piece of another different material.
The hardness depends on the elasticity of the material and its crystalline structure. Particularly, in pure metals the hardness increases proportionally to the cohesion and number of atoms per unit volume. In alloys, hardness increases with heat treatments or strain hardening. Hardness is linked to the behavior of a material against abrasion or wear and the ease with which it can be machined.
To determine hardness, tests can be carried out that measure resistance to scratching or penetration.
Scratch hardness tests
Mohs scale
It is the oldest method of measuring hardness, and is still used in Mineralogy. It was established in 1820 by the German Friedrich Mohs.
On the Mohs scale, the material to be analyzed is compared with 10 minerals taken as standards, numbered from 1 to 10 in increasing order of hardness.
A material is scratched by those with a higher number, and scratches by those with a lower number.
It is a rather imprecise measurement method, and cannot be used to measure the hardness of metals. It is not a linear scale. The difference in hardness between corundum and diamond is greater than that between talc and gypsum.
Martens Hardness
In the Martens test, a diamond cone is used to scratch the surface of the material whose hardness is to be measured. The hardness in this test is the inverse of the width of the scratch obtained when the diamond cone is pressed with a determined and constant force against the surface of the material. The inverse value of the width of the scratch is used so that harder materials have a higher hardness.