Scope:

The ASTM E10 Brinell hardness test is an indentation hardness test that can provide useful information about physical characteristics of metallic materials and can be useful in quality control and selection of materials. Brinell hardness (HB) is generally used for the soft material, such as non-ferrous metals, steel before heat treated or after annealing. The ASTM E10 Brinell hardness test method is also used for acceptance testing of commercial shipments, and has been used extensively in industry for this purpose.

Test Procedure:

For ASTM E10, the indenter is brought into contact with the test specimen in a direction
perpendicular to the surface, and the test force F is applied. The test force is held for a specified
dwell time and then remove it. Brinell Testing Machine is used to support the test specimen and applies an indenting force to a ball in contact with the specimen.The diameter of the indentation is measured in at least two directions perpendicular to each other. The Brinell hardness value is derived from the mean of
the diameter. The test is carried out at an ambient temperature within the limits of 10°C
to 35°C.

 Specimen size:

The thickness of the specimen tested should be at least ten times the depth of the indentation h
according to ASTM E10.

Data:

The Brinell hardness number is calculated as:

HBW = {2F _kgf / πD (D – √ D²– d²)}

where,

F_kgf = test force in kgf (kilogram force)

D = diameter of the indenter ball in mm, and

d = measured mean diameter of the indentation