When to use Brinell and Rockwell hardness tests?

Every material that exists has varying degrees of hardness. Diamond, for example, happens to be the hardest of all known materials. On the other hand, talc is on the softer side.

But what does hardness actually mean? Despite popular notions, or misconceptions, it certainly does not indicate the toughness of a material or substance. The hardest diamonds are guaranteed to break if hit with a hammer. Steel, on the other hand, will not.

Hardness Description

To clear up all confusion, hardness indicates the ability of an object to avoid indentation when force is applied. In simple words, objects with high scratch resistance are considered hard (diamond being one of them), while those that scratch more easily are considered less hard. Rockwell and Brinell tests are used to measure the hardness of substances.

When is the Brinell hardness test used?

The Brinell test should be used when substances with rough surfaces are involved, as it can be relatively destructive and can damage smooth surfaces.

It can also be used if any other test fails to give satisfactory results. With a relatively large indenter, the Brinell test is ideal for certain substances or metallic objects that require a large indenter.

However, it tends to be rather slow and cumbersome compared to similar tests, which should be kept in mind for those with time constraints during the test.

When to Use the Rockwell Hardness Test?

For those inexperienced with hardness testing, the Rockwell test should be considered optional since it is a relatively easy test to perform. Not to mention, this all eliminates mechanical errors and produces accurate results.

The Rockwell test is ideal for testing the hardness of various materials or substances. These include fairly hard substances like hardened steel or other hard metals.

This gives Testers even more reason to use this test, which is exactly what they do, since the Rockwell test happens to be a commonly used method in hardness testing.

If you happen to want to keep your test material, the Rockwell Test is great because it will give you accurate results while avoiding as much damage to the surface as possible.