Telebrineller – Portable Brinell Hardness Testing System

The Telebrineller test is a comparative Brinell method built for field work. A test bar of known Brinell Hardness Number (BHN) and the specimen take an impression from the same blow, and the hardness of the specimen is read from the ratio of the two impression diameters. Because both impressions come from one impact, the force of the blow drops out of the result, and no power supply is needed.

The choice of bar sets the accuracy. Results hold when the bar BHN is within ±15% of the expected specimen BHN and the bar is of the same general material. The bar goes into the instrument, the instrument is placed on the specimen, and the anvil is struck once.

A spacing bar, released by a spring catch and button, then moves the test bar to a clear area for the next test. Both impressions are measured and the BHN follows in minutes, without specialist training. Where parts can come to the bench, our Brinell hardness testers measure the same scale under a controlled load.

Our standard Telebrineller test bars cover Brinell values from 106 BHN at the soft end to 627 BHN at the hard end, in closely spaced steps. Values along the range include 627, 555, 477, 401, 341, 285, 235, 194, 160, 131 and 106 BHN, so a bar can be matched closely to most steels and many softer alloys.

Each bar is calibrated before it ships. The measured value is rounded to the nearest standard BHN at a 0.05 mm interval, following Table I of ASTM E10, and that value is etched on the end of the bar, so the reference travels with the bar into the field.

In practice, the range you can cover on site is set by the bars you carry, because each test needs a bar close to the hardness of the specimen. Tell us the materials and hardness range your crews check, and we will put together a bar set to cover it. Our hardness team can help you choose the values.

Yes. The impression ball is part of the instrument itself. A steel impression ball sits in the base of the soft molded rubber head, below the test bar, and is in contact with both the test bar and the specimen. When the anvil is struck, the impact passes through this ball, so one ball forms both impressions in the same blow.

Two versions are available: the standard impression ball and a tungsten carbide impression ball. Both are listed as parts of the same instrument, so a spare or alternative ball can be ordered without changing anything else in the kit.

The ball is a wearing part that every test depends on, so it is worth adding a spare to the order alongside your test bars. Ask for a quotation on the Telebrineller with a spare ball, and we will advise which version suits the materials you test.

The ASTM E10 test technique evaluates a metal's hardness by determining how long it can sustain a weight without denting. The Brinell hardness number, which correlates to tensile strength, wear resistance, ductility, or other physical properties of metals, is determined using this test. The data produced from this test can be utilized for quality assurance and material selection.

In accordance with ASTM E10, the Brinell hardness is assessed by pressing a hardened steel or carbide ball with a known diameter and a known force into a surface, then using a microscope to measure the diameter of the indentation. The load, measured in kilograms, is divided by the indentation's spherical area, measured in square millimetres; this area depends on the indentation's depth and ball diameter. This yields the Brinell hardness number.

NextGen Telebrineller Brinell Hardness Testing System supports ASTM E10 Standard

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BHN stands for Brinell Hardness Number, the value a Brinell hardness test produces. A hard ball is pressed into the material and the hardness is calculated from the applied load and the size of the impression it leaves. A softer material takes a wider impression and gives a lower number, a harder material a smaller impression and a higher number.

With the Telebrineller, the number is found by comparison rather than from a known load. The test bar carries a calibrated BHN etched on its end, and the specimen takes its impression from the same blow as the bar. The ratio between the two impression diameters, applied to the known bar value, gives the BHN of the specimen.

The arithmetic is a basic equation, so the result is available on site within minutes. Recording the bar value, both diameters and the result for each test point keeps a clear trail when field readings are compared later, for example base metal, weld metal and heat-affected zone on the same joint.

The Brinell Hardness Test results are frequently used in industry as a foundation for accepting commercial shipments and usually for quality control purposes. These findings might be related to properties of metals like ductility, tensile strength, wear resistance, etc.

An indentation hardness test called the Brinell Test has two phases. Step one involves bringing the indenter into contact with the test specimen perpendicular to the surface and applying the prescribed test force. After holding for the allotted amount of time, the test force withdrew. Step two, The diameter of the depression is measured in at least two directions perpendicular to each other. Using a mathematical formula created specifically for this purpose, or more usually from a chart based on the formula, the Brinell hardness value is calculated from the mean of the diameter measurements.

NextGen’s Telebrineller Brinell Hardness Testing System supports ASTM-E10 international standard.

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A test bar with a known Brinell Hardness Number (BHN), which closely matches the hardness of the specimen being tested, is selected. To ensure the highest consistent accuracy, it is crucial that the BHN of the test bar falls within a range of plus or minus 15% of the BHN of the specimen and that both the test bar and the specimen share similar material characteristics. Kindly note that when testing non-ferrous materials using carbon steel bars, impact errors may occur, necessitating the application of correction factors to the test results to compensate for differences in material properties.

The standard dimensions of the BHN (Brinell Hardness Number) bars are 9/16 sq inches x 6 inches.

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The Halteman Filletester is made for the joints the standard Telebrineller head cannot reach: fillet welds and other confined locations where the instrument cannot sit square on the work. It is used together with the Telebrineller, not instead of it, so the principle stays the same. One hammer blow drives the impression ball into a calibrated bar and into the weld at the same time.

For easier handling in a tight corner, the standard Telebrineller test bars are cut in half. The impressions are then measured with the 5/8″ diameter end of the microscope nose piece, which fits where the full-size head would not.

Bar selection does not change. The half bar is chosen against the expected hardness of the weld, exactly as a full bar would be on an open surface.

If your crews inspect fillet welds regularly, ask us for a quote that includes the Filletester alongside the Telebrineller kit.

The Telebrineller is built from replaceable parts, each with its own number. The bar holder assembly is part 239-35. Its components are the anvil (239-17), rubber front piece (239-18), test bar, standard impression ball (239-14), tungsten carbide impression ball (239-29), spacer button (239-19), spacer block (239-10), spacer spring (239-12), rubber rear piece (239-11) and bar tube (239-16).

Supporting items complete the set: an LED flashlight (239-37), the Telebrineller computer (239-34), a calculation and record pad of 25 sheets (239-33), the carrying case (239-20) and a calibration disk (239-31).

Test bars carry no single part number because they are ordered by BHN value, so you choose the values that match your work. When you order spares, quoting the part numbers above lets us match each item to your instrument without delay.

The Telebrineller is delivered as a field kit in its carrying case, and the complete kit weighs under ten pounds. At its centre is the bar holder assembly: the anvil that takes the hammer blow, the rubber front and rear pieces that give the head a non-slip seat on the work, the impression ball under the test bar, and the spacer button, block and spring that move the bar to a fresh area after each test.

Around the head sit the items that turn two impressions into a number: the bar tube, an LED flashlight for reading impressions on site, the Telebrineller computer, a calculation and record pad of 25 sheets, and the calibration disk for checking the measuring microscope.

Test bars are the consumable half of the system, and the bar set is chosen for the hardness range your crews test.

We confirm the exact kit contents and the bar set with your quotation.

Yes. The Telebrineller can test non-ferrous metals, provided the test bar is matched to the work. Accuracy is most consistent when the bar is of the same general material as the specimen and close to it in hardness.

Testing a non-ferrous specimen against carbon steel bars introduces an impact error. The procedure allows for this: the designated correction factors are applied to the test results, and the corrected value is reported as the specimen BHN.

For aluminum work, our accessory list also includes aluminum Telebrineller test bars next to the standard steel bars, which keeps the bar and the specimen in the same general material.

Tell us which alloys you need to check and the hardness range you expect, and we will advise on the bar set. Get in touch with our team to discuss your materials.

Standard Telebrineller test bars are made from assorted carbon steel alloys and finish ground to a 9/16″ square. Each bar holds a uniform hardness, and its calibrated BHN is etched on the end, so the operator always knows which reference is in the head.

The material matters because the method is comparative. The bar and the specimen take the same blow, and the ratio of their two impressions is only meaningful when both respond to the impact in a similar way. That is why the bar should be of the same general material as the work.

Non-ferrous materials can still be tested against the carbon steel bars, but the designated correction factors for impact error are then applied to the result.

Bars come in a long series of BHN values, so a field set can be built around the steels and alloys you actually test.

Accuracy starts with the method. The impact passes through the impression ball into the test bar and the specimen at the same moment, so both take an impression from the same blow, however hard it was struck. The force drops out of the result, and the hardness is read from the ratio of the two impression diameters.

The second part is the bar itself. Every standard bar is calibrated on a computerized calibration system whose accuracy complies with the National Institute of Standards. The value is rounded to the nearest standard BHN at 0.05 mm intervals, following Table I of ASTM E10, and that BHN is etched on the end of the bar.

The third part is the operator's choice of bar. The closer the bar is to the hardness of the specimen, the closer the field reading comes to a bench result, which is why bar selection is the first step of every test.

The anvil is the part of the Telebrineller that takes the hammer blow. It is encased in a soft molded rubber head that rests on the test bar, and it is struck sharply with a two to five pound hammer.

From the anvil, the impact is transmitted equally to the test bar and, through the impression ball, to the specimen, so both take an impression from the same blow. The rubber head and a matching rear resting block give the instrument non-skid footing on the work.

Because the anvil only transfers the blow, the Telebrineller needs no separate support under the part. The instrument sits directly on the specimen, whether that is a plate, a pipe or a structure in place. The anvil comes fitted to every instrument and is also available as a spare.

For other instruments that test hardness away from the lab, see our portable hardness testers.

Yes. Its reliability comes from the principle. The test bar and the specimen take their impressions from the same blow, so the result does not depend on how hard the operator strikes, and every reading is referenced to a calibrated bar with its value etched on the end.

The system was developed for welding crews out of more than fifty years of field experience, and it is built for weather and rough handling. The complete kit fits in one case, weighs under ten pounds and runs without power.

Materials testing laboratories, quality control departments and research facilities use it as the portable half of their hardness programme, and it serves construction, manufacturing and engineering work wherever Brinell hardness has to be checked away from a bench tester. If your parts can come to the lab, compare it with our digital Brinell hardness tester.

After the blow, the test bar is taken out of the instrument and both impressions are measured with a Brinell microscope, first the one in the bar and then the one in the specimen, in the same way. The diameter is read across the impression from edge to edge, and readings can be made to within 0.05 mm.

The diameters can be measured with a manual or an automatic Brinell microscope. Our accessory list includes a microscope for use with the Telebrineller, and a calibration disc for checking the microscope calibration before a series of tests. The LED flashlight in the kit helps when impressions have to be read in poor light on site.

The two diameters are then worked through on the Telebrineller computer supplied with the set, which turns them into the BHN of the specimen, and the calculation and record pad keeps the results together for each job.

Yes. The Telebrineller instrument comes complete with a test bar, and the steel bars are selected by BHN value when you order, so they match the hardness of the materials you test.

Simply tell us the hardness values you need when you order the main unit, and we will include the matching steel test bars with your purchase. The number of bars in the standard configuration is confirmed at quotation, together with any extra values you want to carry.

Each bar serves several tests, because the spacing bar moves it to a clear area for every new impression. Additional bars can be ordered at any time by BHN value from the full list of standard values, so the set can grow as new materials come into your work. Send us your hardness range for a quotation and we will propose the bar set.

A test bar is replaced when it runs out of clear area, not on a calendar. Each test leaves an impression in the bar as well as in the specimen, and every new impression has to sit on fresh, undisturbed metal for the comparison to hold.

The instrument manages that spacing for you. After each test a spacing bar, released by a spring catch and button, moves the test bar along to a clear area for the next blow, so the bar is used up in an orderly way rather than by guesswork.

How long a bar lasts therefore depends on how many tests your crews run at that hardness level. The bar that matches the most common material on site is used up first, and it is worth carrying a spare of that value.

Additional bars are ordered by their etched BHN value, so a replacement matches the bar it replaces.

The practice comes down to three steps, and the first one decides the accuracy. Select a test bar with a known BHN close to the expected hardness of the specimen. The reading holds when the bar is within ±15% of the specimen BHN and of the same general material.

Next, insert the bar into the instrument, set the instrument on the specimen and strike the anvil once with a two to five pound hammer. The blow passes through the impression ball into the bar and the specimen together, whatever its force.

Finally, measure the diameters of the two impressions. Their ratio gives the BHN of the specimen, and the spacing bar then moves the test bar to a clear area, ready for the next test.

None of this needs power or specialist training, which is why the method suits welding crews working on site.

Two figures describe it. The standard test bars hold a uniform hardness within ±2% of the BHN etched on the end of each bar. In use, with the bar applied correctly and within 15% of the hardness of the test piece, an accuracy of ±5% is consistently achievable.

The gap between the two figures is the field. The bar is a calibrated reference, while the test piece is whatever the crew meets on site, and the comparison is only as close as the match between them. A bar far from the specimen hardness widens the error, so the bar set you carry matters as much as the instrument.

When a part can come to the laboratory, a bench test on one of our Brinell hardness testers takes the bar match out of the equation. For field readings that go into a report, record the BHN of the bar used next to each result.

Yes. The Telebrineller was developed for welding crews in the first place, because weld hardness has to be verified on the joint, in place and often outdoors, without power and without moving the work.

Welds with open, flat access can be tested with the standard head. Fillet welds and other confined joints are where the standard head cannot sit, and for those the Telebrineller is used together with the Halteman Filletester.

Weld metal, the heat affected zone and the parent plate can differ in hardness, so it pays to carry bars that bracket all three rather than a single value.

Where a weld section is too thin or too small for a Brinell impression, our other portable hardness testers cover the job by different methods.

For a crew that tests often, the impression ball is the first spare to carry. It takes every blow, and a ball that has worn or deformed leaves out-of-round impressions that can no longer be measured cleanly. The ball is available in standard form (part 239-14) and in tungsten carbide (part 239-29).

The calibration disk (part 239-31) is the second, because it checks the measuring microscope, the one part of the system you verify yourself.

Beyond that, the instrument is built from replaceable parts, from the rubber front and rear pieces to the spacer spring, so a damaged part does not retire the instrument. Calculation and record pads come in 25 sheets, and test bars are reordered by BHN value.

Send us the part numbers you need, or contact our team with a description of the part, and we will match it.

The instrument itself does not need calibration. It applies no measured force: the hammer blow goes into the test bar and the specimen together, and only the ratio of the two impressions counts, so there is no load system to verify.

Calibration sits in two other places. The test bars arrive calibrated, each with its BHN etched on the end, and they are the reference in every measurement. The measuring microscope is the part you check yourself, and the calibration disk is made for that check.

Make the disk check part of the routine before a series of field tests. A worn impression ball is replaced rather than recalibrated, and a bar is replaced once its clear test area is used up.