Journal Published Online: 10 January 2025
Volume 53, Issue 1

Estimation of Sensitivity Coefficients for Rockwell Indenters Using Finite Element Simulation for Uncertainty Evaluation

CODEN: JTEVAB

Abstract

Rockwell hardness testing is a widely used hardness test, and there are many scales depending on the indenter shape and test force for corresponding to various materials. The common Rockwell indenters are the diamond sphero-conical indenter and the tungsten carbide ball indenter. The influence of indenter shape error on Rockwell hardness has been acknowledged, as this shape impacts test results. To accurately estimate this uncertainty, it is essential to understand the sensitivity coefficient, which delineates the relationship between indenter shape and Rockwell hardness. Traditionally, this coefficient has been derived experimentally, but this approach faces challenges that are attributable to the nonuniformity of hardness test blocks and indenter shape measurement errors. This study introduces the estimation of sensitivity coefficients for Rockwell indenters using finite element analysis (FEA). The FEA method offers the advantage of being unaffected by the nonuniformity of test blocks and indenter shape measurement errors. We calculated the sensitivity coefficients by assessing the influence of variations in indenter angle and tip radius for diamond indenters, and indenter diameter for ball indenters, on hardness results through FEA. The sensitivity coefficients obtained via FEA for specific scales aligned with those from previous experimental studies, affirming the validity of FEA-derived coefficients for other scales. This study demonstrates that FEA is a useful tool for estimating the sensitivity coefficients of Rockwell indenters.

Author Information

Tanaka, Yukimi
Research Institute for Engineering Measurement, National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Hattori, Koichiro
Research Institute for Engineering Measurement, National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Yoshioka, Masahiro
Research Institute for Engineering Measurement, National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Pages: 12
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Stock #: JTE20240173
ISSN: 0090-3973
DOI: 10.1520/JTE20240173