A material’s hardness is a quality, not a fundamental physical trait. Its definition is “resistance to indentation,” and its measurement is the indentation’s permanent depth.

Simply put, the harder the material is when tested with a fixed force (load) and a specific indenter. Using one of more than 12 distinct test procedures, the depth or area of the indentation is measured to determine the indentation’s hardness.

Based on an optical measurement technique, the Vickers method. In order to create an indentation that can be measured and translated into a hardness value, a diamond indenter is used in the Microhardness Test Procedure, ASTM E-384. Although test samples must be well polished to permit quantifying the size of the impressions, it is particularly useful for testing on a variety of materials. For testing purposes, a diamond with a square base and a pyramidal shape is employed. Although “Macro” Vickers loads can be up to 30 kg or more, most loads are quite light, ranging from 10gm to 1kgf.

The Vickers Value Range of NextGen’s Macro Vickers Hardness Tester – Analogue, Digital and Digital with CCD Optical Analysis Software is HV1 – HV4000

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