HARDNESS OF POLYMER
1. SHORE DUROMETER TEST
AIM: To measure hardness of polymer materials using shore durometer hardness test.
APPARATUS REQUIRED: Presser foot, indenter, indicating device , protector for
indicator , calibrated spring ( F = 0.4445HD) , standard screw gauge.
THEORY: Shore provides the various shore hardness scales which is used for materials with
different properties. The ASTM D2240 testing standard calls for a total of 12 scales
depending on the indented use. Type A, B, C, D, DO, E, M, O, OO, OOO, OOO-S and R are
recognized. Shore D is capable of measuring harder polymer than shore A. The depth or size
of resulting indentations is measured and turned to its related hardness number. Higher
number on the scale indicates a greater resistance to indentation and thus harder materials.
This test method permits hardness measurements on either initial indentation or indentation
after specified period of time or both.
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE: This test method is based on the penetration of the specific
indenter forced into the material under specific conditions. The indentation harnesses is
inversely related to the penetration and is dependent on the elastic modulus and viscoelastic
behaviour of the material. The shape of the indenter and force applied to it influence the
results. This test is intended for quality control purposes.
SPECIMEN: The material under the test should be minimum of 6.4 mm. The indenter
bulges from the middle of the presser foot and extends 2.5 mm from the surface of the foot.
The lateral dimension of the specimen shall be sufficient to permit measurements at least 12
mm from any edge. A suitable hardness determination cannot be made on a rounded, uneven,
or rough surface. Plied pieces may also be used.
PROCEDURE:
• Calibrate the durometer by using standard check gauge. If there is any error, note
down the zero correction.
• Place a specimen on a hard , horizontal surface.
• The measurement at least 12 mm from the edge of the material with required pressure
applied in 15 seconds were taken.
• Apply presser foot to the specimen as rapidly as possible without shock.
• Apply just sufficient pressure, obtain firm contact between presser foot and specimen.
• If a reading after a time interval is specified, hold the presser foot in contact with the
specimen without change in position of pressure and read the scale after the period
specified.
• ASTM D2240 durometer allows for a measurement of the indentation hardness after
the given period of time.
• Make five measurements at different positions on the specimen at least 6 mm apart
and determine the median value or arithmetic mean.
RESULT:
Hardness of _________ material is _________ Shore D.
PRECAUTION :
1. Never press the indenter on sensitive or hard materials.
2. The main test force should be smooth without impact.
3. The basic test requires applying pressure in a consistent manner without shock and
measuring the hardness.
2. ROCKWELL HARDNESS TEST
AIM: To measure hardness of polymer materials using Rockwell hardness test.
APPARATUS REQUIRED: Rockwell Hardness Machine, steel ball or a conical diamond
(brale), specimen.
THEORY:
Hardness represents the resistance of material surface to abrasion, scratching and cutting,
hardness after gives clear indication of strength. In all hardness tests, a define force is
mechanically applied on the piece, varies in size and shape for different tests. Common
indenters are made of hardened steel or diamond. Rockwell hardness tester presents direct
reading of hardness number on a dial provided with the machine. Principally this testing is
similar to brinell hardness testing. It differs only in diameter and material of the indenter and
the applied force. Although there are many scales having different combinations of load and
size of indenter but commonly 'C' scale is used and hardness is presented as HRC. Here the
indenter has a diamond cone at the tip and applied force is of 150 kgf. Soft materials are often
tested in 'B' scale with a 1.6mm dia. Steel indenter at 60kgf.
Types of Rockwell Test:
1.Rockwell Test: In this minor load of 10kgf and major loads of 60, 100, 150kgf is applied.
2.Superficial Rockwell Test: In this minor load of 3kgf and major loads of 15, 30, 45kgf is
applied.
Specification of Hardness Testing M/C and Indenters:
Rockwell hardness testing machine essentially consist of a supporting table for placing the
specimen, a hand wheel to raise or lower the supporting table, a Rockwell ball indenter which
is a hardened steel ball 1/6'' in diameter, a Rockwell cone indenter which is a diamond cone
of 120°.
Apex angle: load stages adjustable by means of push button switches, a light signal to
indicate the application of minor load of 10kg, a clamping sleeve to hold the specimen firmly,
a button for applying the major load, hand lever to release the load and a dial gauge which
directly gives the Rockwell hardness number. The dial gauge has two set of graduation B and
C, corresponding to the ball type indenter and the cone type indenter.
The hardness test can also be conducted on Brinell testing m/c, Rockwell hardness m/c or
Vickers testing m/c the specimen may be a cylinder, cube, thick or thin metallic sheets.
The Rockwell hardness test is a indentation hardness test in which a diamond cone having an
included angle of 120o and radius of curvature at the tip of 0.2mm, or a hardened steel or
hard metal ball having a diameter of 1.5875mm for B, F, G and all 'T' scales or 3.175 mm for
E, H and K scales are used.The indenter is forced into the surface of a test piece in two steps,.
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE: The Rockwell hardness test is an empirical indentation
hardness test. Its worldwide adoption has likely resulted from the many advantages provided
by the test method. The test is fast, inexpensive, and relatively non-destructive, leaving only a
small indentation in the material. The simplicity in the operation of a Rockwell hardness
machine has provided the added advantage that Rockwell hardness testing usually does not
require a highly skilled operator. By way of correlation with other material properties, the
Rockwell hardness test can provide important information about metallic materials, such as
the tensile strength, wear resistance, and ductility. The test is generally useful for material
selection, for process and quality control, and for acceptance testing of commercial products.
Consequently, in today’s manufacturing facilities, Rockwell hardness machines can be found
in use in almost every testing environment, from the hot, oily surroundings of some
manufacturing facilities, to environmentally controlled metallographic and calibration
laboratories.
SPECIMEN: The selected specimen shall have a thickness greater than 10 times the depth
of indentation to avoid the deformation to be extended to the opposite surface of a specimen.
After the test, no deformation shall be visible on the surface of the test piece opposite to the
indentation. The surface of the test specimen shall be smooth and even, free from oxide scale,
foreign matter and, in particular completely free from lubricants. For tests on convex
cylindrical surfaces and spherical surfaces, the corrections should be added according to IS
1586: 2012.Flat pieces should be tested on a flat anvil that has a smooth flat bearing surfaces
whose plane is perpendicular to the axis of the penetrator. For pieces that are not perfectly
flat, a flat anvil having an elevated 'spot' about 4 to 6 mm in diameter is used.
PROCEDURE:
• Select the specimen and also the indentor to be used.
• The handwheel is turned until the specimen is in contact with the indenter and the
pointer of the small dial gauge reaches the red dot so that minor load of 10 kg is
applied.
• Based on the material, major load is set and the motor is switched ON. The hand lever
is kept in load position. The reading is noted down using B scale or C scale based on
indentor used.
• Two trials of the Rockwell hardness number is noted for all the four specimens and
the average is of the two trials gives the final Rockwell hardness number.
RESULT:
Rockwell Hardness number of _________ material is _________ .
PRECAUTION :
While testing the specimen following cares should be taken.
1.Indentation should not be made nearer to the edge of a specimen to avoid unnecessary
concentration of stresses. In such case the distance from the edge to the centre of indentation
should be greater than 2.5 times diameter of indentation.
2.Rapid rate of applying load to the specimen should be avoided. Load applied on the ball
may rise a little because of its sudden action, also rapidly applied load will restrict plastic
flow of a material, which produces effect on size of indentation .
3. MOHS HARDNESS TEST
AIM: To measure hardness of polymer materials using Bohs hardness test.
APPARATUS REQUIRED: Mohs Hardness Kit ,Mohs Hardness Scale , Small Lens, Brush
Theory : Mohs’ hardness is a measure of the relative hardness and resistance to scratching
between minerals. Other hardness scales rely on the ability to create an indentation into the
tested mineral (such as the Rockwell, Vickers, and Brinell hardness - these are used mainly to
determine hardness in metals and metal alloys).
The scratch hardness is related to the breaking of the chemical bonds in the material, creation
of microfractures on the surface, or displacing atoms (in metals) of the mineral. Generally,
minerals with covalent bonds are the hardest while minerals with ionic, metallic, or van der
Waals bonding are much softer.
The Mohs' hardness scale was developed in 1822 by Frederich Mohs. This scale is a chart of
relative hardness of the various minerals (1 - softest to 10 - hardest). Since hardness depends
upon the crystallographic direction (ultimately on the strength of the bonds between atoms in
a crystal), there can be variations in hardness depending upon the direction in which one
measures this property.
One of the most striking examples of this is kyanite, which has a hardness of 5.5 parallel to the
1 direction ( c-axis), while it has a hardness of 7.0 parallel to the 100 direction ( a-axis). Talc
(1), the softest mineral on the Mohs scale has a hardness greater than gypsum (2) in the
direction that is perpendicular to the cleavage. Diamonds (10) also show a variation in hardness
(the octahedral faces are harder than the cube faces).
PROCEDURE: Begin by locating a smooth, unscratched surface for testing.
With one hand, hold the specimen of unknown hardness firmly against a tabletop so that the
surface to be tested is exposed and accessible. The tabletop supports the specimen and helps
you hold it motionless for the test. (If you are doing this test at a nice desk you may want to get
a thick piece of cardboard, a thick rubber pad, or a sheet of some other material to protect the
surface from being scratched.)
Hold one of the standard hardness specimens in the other hand and place a point of that
specimen against the selected flat surface of the unknown specimen.
Firmly press the point of the standard specimen against the unknown specimen, and with firm
pressure, drag the point of the standard specimen across the surface of the unknown specimen.
Examine the surface of the unknown specimen. With a finger, brush away any mineral
fragments or powder that was produced. Did the test produce a scratch? Be careful not to
confuse mineral powder or residue with a scratch. A scratch will be a distinct groove cut in the
mineral surface, not a mark on the surface that wipes away. Use a hand lens to get a good look
at what happened.
Conduct the test a second time to confirm your results
Example: You select one of the minerals from Mohs Scale that looks like the one pictured
here and find that it can be scratched by the knife (H=5.5) but not by the penny (H=3).
Therefore, you are able to conclude that the specimen has a relative hardness between 3.0 and
5.5. The minerals from Mohs Scale that fall into that relative hardness range
are calcite (H=3), fluorite (H=4)and apatite (H=5).
By using your powers of observation and your knowledge of other physical characteristics of
minerals such as crystalline structure, color, streak etc. you are able to conclude that your
sample is calcite!
PRECAUTION :
• Scratch should be sharp and clean
• Before scratching Clean the specimen with a finger, brush away any mineral fragments
or powder that was produced.
4.BARCOL HARDNESS TEST
AIM: To find the intendation hardness of sample.
APPARATUS REQUIRED: Testing specimen (2),Barcol hardness tester, Legs, Calibration
wrench
PROCEDURE:
1)On a hard flat surface, the main testing system of Barcol hardness is set in the frame.
2)The Intender is in full scale adjusting screw, with a plunger loaded by load spring on top.
3)Hold the instrument and put it on specimen stably. Apply the test force firmly and swiftly
till the dial reaches it’s maximum. Take the maximum reading on dial estimated to 0.5
hardness units.This reading result is Barcol hardness.
4) Using the intendation depth, we can calculate Barcol hardness represented as HBA
CALCULATION:
HBa=100-[h÷0.0076(in mm)]
ERROR:
Error = (Experimental value- theoretical value)÷ Theoretical value ×100
PRECAUTIONS:
1) Thickness of specimen must not be less than 1.5 mm
2) Specimen must be placed stably
3) Specimen surface should be smooth and clean without any mechanical damage
4) Indentation depth must be measured till 5 mm from the bottom face
BARCOL HARDNESS IMPRESSER
