Calculating Brinell Hardness with A Spherical Tungsten Carbide Indenter

How do you calculate the Brinell hardness of a material using a spherical tungsten carbide indenter?

A hardness test is conducted with a 10 mm diameter spherical tungsten carbide indenter and an applied load of 2000 kg. If the indentation diameter is 3.5 mm, the Brinell hardness of the material can be calculated using the formula: BHN = (2*P)/π*d*(d-d1) where P is the load applied, d is the diameter of the indenter, and d1 is the indentation diameter.

Understanding Brinell Hardness Calculation

The Brinell hardness number (BHN) is a measure of a material's hardness, calculated as the ratio of the applied load to the surface area of the indentation produced during the test. It is widely used in engineering and metallurgy to determine the hardness of materials.

When conducting a Brinell hardness test, the diameter of the spherical tungsten carbide indenter, the applied load, and the indentation diameter are crucial parameters in determining the material's hardness. In this case, the given values are:

• Diameter of the indenter (d): 10 mm
• Applied load (P): 2000 kg
• Indentation diameter (d1): 3.5 mm

By substituting these values into the Brinell hardness formula, we can calculate the Brinell hardness number of the material. In this example, using the provided values:

BHN = (2*2000)/(π*10*(10-3.5))

BHN = 136.1

Hence, the material's Brinell hardness number is 136.1.