1. Scope

1.1 These test methods cover the determination of the Rockwell hardness and the Rockwell superficial hardness of metallic materials by the Rockwell indentation hardness principle. This standard provides the requirements for Rockwell hardness machines and the procedures for performing Rockwell hardness tests.

1.2 This standard includes additional requirements in annexes:

1.3 This standard includes nonmandatory information in appendixes which relates to the Rockwell hardness test.

1.4 Units At the time the Rockwell hardness test was developed, the force levels were specified in units of kilograms-force (kgf) and the indenter ball diameters were specified in units of inches (in.). This standard specifies the units of force and length in the International System of Units (SI); that is, force in Newtons (N) and length in millimeters (mm). However, because of the historical precedent and continued common usage, force values in kgf units and ball diameters in inch units are provided for information and much of the discussion in this standard refers to these units.

1.5 The test principles, testing procedures, and verification procedures are essentially identical for both the Rockwell and Rockwell superficial hardness tests. The significant differences between the two tests are that the test forces are smaller for the Rockwell superficial test than for the Rockwell test. The same type and size indenters may be used for either test, depending on the scale being employed. Accordingly, throughout this standard, the term Rockwell will imply both Rockwell and Rockwell superficial unless stated otherwise.

1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.

ASTM Standards

A370 Test Methods and Definitions for Mechanical Testing of Steel Products

A623 Specification for Tin Mill Products, General Requirements

A623M Specification for Tin Mill Products, General Requirements [Metric]

B19 Specification for Cartridge Brass Sheet, Strip, Plate, Bar, and Disks

B36/B36M Specification for Brass Plate, Sheet, Strip, And Rolled Bar

B96/B96M Specification for Copper-Silicon Alloy Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar for General Purposes and Pressure Vessels

B103/B103M Specification for Phosphor Bronze Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar

B121/B121M Specification for Leaded Brass Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar

B122/B122M Specification for Copper-Nickel-Tin Alloy, Copper-Nickel-Zinc Alloy (Nickel Silver), and Copper-Nickel Alloy Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar

B130 Specification for Commercial Bronze Strip for Bullet Jackets

B134/B134M Specification for Brass Wire

B152/B152M Specification for Copper Sheet, Strip, Plate, and Rolled Bar

B370 Specification for Copper Sheet and Strip for Building Construction

E29 Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications

E92 Test Method for Vickers Hardness of Metallic Materials

E140 Hardness Conversion Tables for Metals Relationship Among Brinell Hardness, Vickers Hardness, Rockwell Hardness, Superficial Hardness, Knoop Hardness, and Scleroscope Hardness

E384 Test Method for Knoop and Vickers Hardness of Materials

E691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to Determine the Precision of a Test Method

ISO Standards

American Bearings Manufacturer Association Standard

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Standard

Keywords

hardness; mechanical test; metals; Rockwell;

ICS Code

ICS Number Code 77.040.10 (Mechanical testing of metals)

DOI: 10.1520/E0018-11

ASTM International is a member of CrossRef.