The Vickers hardness test, an optical procedure, measures the size of the diagonal impression that the indenter leaves behind. On the other hand, depth measurement techniques measure the depth of indentation created by the indenter (only Rockwell is standardized). According to ISO 6507, the pyramid-shaped indenter (with an interfacial angle of 136°) is pressed into a specimen (workpiece) with a predetermined test load starting at 1 gf in order to ascertain the Vickers hardness (HV).

The surface area of the residual indent on the specimen and the test force (F in newtons N) is divided to get the Vickers hardness (HV) (see formula below). Because the base area of Vickers indents is typically not square, the surface area of the remaining pyramidal indentation is calculated using the average of the two diagonals (d1 and d2 in mm).

The standard contains the suggested Vickers hardness range (ISO 6507). The Vickers hardness value ranges from 1 to 3.000 HV, depending on the test force and specimen material employed.

The Vickers hardness range for NextGen’s Universal Hardness Tester for Vickers / Knoop, Rockwell and Brinell is 8-2900HV.

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