The methods of hardness-testing

Hardness is the mechanical resistance offered by a material. The definition of hardness differs from that of strength, which is the resistance of a material to deformation and separation.

Hardness testing with a hardness tester can be applied in various fields; such as, apparatus engineering, automotive and mechanical engineering or quality control. There are various methods for testing hardness available, named after their respective developers.

The dynamic hardness testing, in particular the rebound hardness test Leeb has become a very common test in virtually every industry, where manufactured metal components are treated, processed or maintained. Our devices; Hardy Test D100, D400, D500, D600 and D700 function after this method.
There is an impact body at the front end to a hard metal test tip, which is driven with a defined power against the surface of the specimen. The impact of the impactor causes a deformation of the surface, resulting in a loss of kinetic energy. This energy loss is calculated by velocity measurements and derived to a hardness value HL.

In the Vickers hardness test, an equilateral diamond pyramid is pressed with an opening angle of 136 ° under a specified test force onto the piece. This gives an impression in the form of a concave (negative) square-based pyramid. The lengths of the two diagonals of the indentation are measured (average). Based on this work methode our hardness testers; Hardy Test UCI 1500 and Hardy Test UCI 3000 do the job.

Other procedures of testing material hardness:

  • The Rockwell test (HR-HRB-HRC)
  • The Brinell test (HB)
  • The Shore test (HS-Shore A, Shore C, Shore D)

Which method of material hardness testing is most appropriate for your application depends on the material you want to measure and the optimal combination of hardness tester and accessories you want to use.
Contact us and we are happy to help.

Hardness tester with external impact devices

Hardness tester Salutron HardyTest D600

Hardness tester HardyTest D600©

  • Aluminium cover housing adaptable with any impact device typ, measures the hardness of a large number of materials

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Hardness tester Salutron HardyTest D700

Hardness tester HardyTest D700©

  • Hardness tester with integrated printer

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Hardness tester Salutron HardyTest UCI 3000

Hardness tester HardyTest UCI 3000©

  • Improved hardness tester using UCI method, with 10, 50 or 100 Newton probe

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Hardness tester with integrated impact device

Hardness tester Salutron HardyTest D100

Hardness tester HardyTest D100©

  • Small, handy, and easy to use: robust hand-held measuring instrument with integrated impact device

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Hardness tester Salutron HardyTest 1800B

Hardness tester HardyTest 1800B©

  • Static hardness tester for measurements of hardened surfaces, coatings and metals in a compact format
  • For measurement of large workpieces, serial measurements and measurements on hard accessible points

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Hardness tester Salutron Shore

Hardness tester Shore Durometer

  • Small and practical! For testing hardness of sulfurized rubber and plastics.

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Hardness tester InnovaTest TH-170

Hardness measuring instrument TH-170/TIME5100

  • Hand-held dynamic metal hardness tester with integrated impact device D

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Hardness tester InnovaTest TH-172

Hardness measuring instrument TH-172/TIME5102

  • Hand-held dynamic hardness tester for thin components

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Hardness tester InnovaTest TH-174

Hardness measuring instrument TH-174/TIME5104

  • Hand-held dynamic metal hardness tester for confined spaces

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