A brief about Materials Testing Techniques

Any defects or shortcomings in the composition of a material may result in disaster amounting to loss of valuable times, or worse lives and property. This can be easily avoided using the support of materials testing.

Whether you are manufacturing a paper clip or a nuclear reactor, you must ensure the use of quality material for your product and that this quality is maintained throughout the manufacturing process. Only a stringent quality control can ensure product reliability, durability, efficiency and above all safety. There are a number of materials testing techniques available. These include non-destructive tests (NDT) and magnetic testing procedures.

Mechanical testing

For testing mechanical properties, microscopic and subsurface flaws, material composition, corrosion susceptibility etc. different methods of material analysis such as mechanical testing and chemical analysis are used. So while microscopic defect such as a gas bubble, a hole, a cavity can be a possible reason behind quality non-adherence. A prior test can help in avoiding huge loss. A material is often found to be defective due to the presence of incomplete fusion, lack of bond, lamination, surface flaws, incomplete penetration, inconsistent thickness, etc. These defects may cause poor tensile strength, poor resistance, poor ductility, susceptibility to leakages, corrosion, breakage etc.

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Proceq manufactures quality nondestructive portable testing instruments for metal hardness, concrete properties and roll hardness tester. Proceq invented the Equotip portable metal hardness tester and the world’s first portable concrete test hammer, the Schmidt concrete test hammer.

Hardness, Hardness Tests And Hardness Conversion Tables

Hardness has been variously defined as a solid materials resistance to abrasion, penetration, scratching, tear or wear. This proves that hardness is not an inherent property of a material rather the result of a defined measurement procedure carried out as part of hardness tests.

The ideal method to arrive at the Hardness Value of a material is to measure the depth/ area of the indentation produced by an indenter of a definite shape when a specific force is applied on it for a specified period. This relationship between hardness and the size of the impression is usually established using three standard test methods, known as the Brinell, Vickers, and Rockwell tests.

Each one of these test methods makes use of a definite scale (which is dependent on the applied load and indenter-shape) for calibration purpose. Thus, the Brinell Hardness Scale gauges the hardness of metals. Similarly, the Rockwell Hardness Scale measures different materials, right from soft bearing metals to carbides and the Vicker's Scale measures the hardness of thin materials.

The Hardness scales have another function - individual scales allow conversions to other scales. Thus, according to the Hardness Conversion Table, a Hardness value of 36 in the Rockwell (Diamond Brale) C Scale is equivalent to the following Hardness Values:

52 in the Rockwell (Diamond Brale) D Scale,
109 in the Rockwell (1/16" Bull) B Scale,
331 in the Brinell Scale (using a 10 m/m Ball) and
354 in the Vickers Scale.

Remember that all these hardness values have been arrived at by using varying weights.

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Proceq manufactures quality nondestructive portable testing instruments for metal hardness, concrete properties and roll hardness tester. Proceq invented the Equotip portable metal hardness tester and the world’s first portable concrete test hammer, the Schmidt concrete test hammer.

50 Years of Quality: History of Hardness Testing

Hardness testing plays an important role in materials testing, quality control and acceptance of components.

Hardness, as applied to most materials, and in particular metals, is a valuable, revealing and commonly employed mechanical test that has been in use in various forms for more than 250 years. Certainly, as a material property, its value and importance cannot be understated. The information from a hardness test can complement and often be used in conjunction with other material verification techniques such as tensile or compression to provide critical performance information.

How important and useful is material and hardness testing? Consider the information provided and its significance in structural, aerospace, automotive, quality control, failure analysis and many other forms of manufacturing and industry. Determining these material properties provides valuable insight to the durability, strength, flexibility and capabilities of a variety of component types from raw materials to prepared specimens and finished goods.

Over the years, various methods for determining the hardness of materials have been developed and employed at varying levels of success. From early forms of scratch testing to sophisticated automated imaging, hardness testing has evolved into an efficient, accurate and valued material test method.

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Trivia: The PaperSchmidt paper roll hardness tester is the first rebound hammer designed specifically for paper roll hardness testing.

Build Your Solar Panels -Build Your Solar Panels Easily and Cheaply

The best thing about solar power is that it has an unlimited potential. Learn how to build your solar panels, easily and save $1000's on utility bills forever! You can solar power your complete home for a very small investment. You just need to know how to make your own renewable energy source and today I am going to tell you exactly how to go about building your own solar panels.

If you want to learn how to build your solar panels, you'll first have to understand some basics on how exactly does a solar panel works. This way, the whole process will be pretty simple to handle.

Solar modules are the main components exposed directly to sunlight. Their main function is to change the sun's energy into electrical energy that can be utilized by electrical equipments. To have them correctly installed, solar modules are to be mounted on a steel frame and placed on the roof top.

Power generated by the solar modules is converted from Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC) through an inverter. Generally, Alternating Current (AC) is the utilizable electrical power that we need to power the home appliances.

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Trivia: The PaperSchmidt paper roll hardness tester is the first rebound hammer designed specifically for paper roll hardness testing.