Brinell Hardness Test

Brinell Hardness Test. The Brinell test for determining the hardness of metallic materials consists in applying a known load to the surface of the material to be tested through a hardened steel ball of known diameter. The diameter of the resulting permanent impression in the metal is measured and the Brinell Hardness Number (BHN) is then calculated from the following formula in which D = diameter of ball in millimeters, d = measured diameter at the rim of the impression in millimeters, and P = applied load in kilograms.

If the steel ball were not deformed under the applied load and if the impression were truly spherical, then the preceding formula would be a general one, and any combination of applied load and size of ball could be used. The impression, however, is not quite a spherical surface because there must always be some deformation of the steel ball and some recovery of form of the metal in the impression; hence, for a standard Brinell test, the size and characteristics of the ball and the magnitude of the applied load must be standardized. In the standard Brinell test, a ball 10 millimeters in diameter and a load of 3000, 1500, or 500 kilograms is used. It is desirable, although not mandatory, that the test load be of such magnitude that the diameter of the impression be in the range of 2.50 to 4.75 millimeters. The following test loads...