Since the Rockwell hardness tester is used for measuring the hardness of a variety of materials,

a large number of scales are employed. The important differences amongst these scales are the
major loads & the type of indenter used Based on this combination, Even though as many as 15
scales have been listed, only two of them, B & C, are most commonly used.

The above-described load & indenter combinations cannot be used for all types of section
thickness of the samples. For example, examine the underside of a thin section of a specimen
after you conduct the hardness testing using one of the above combinations of load &
indenter. In such a situation, the superficial Rockwell hardness test should be used. If the
impression can still be seen after the superficial test, then a lighter load should be used. A minor
load of 3 kg & a major load of 30 kg are recommended for most superficial testing
Superficial testing can also be used for case-hardened & nitrided steel having a very thin case
(It may be quickly realized that the Brinell hardness testing is not suitable to measure the
hardness of thin sections of samples ).

The Vickers hardness test was developed in 1924 by Smith & Sandland at Vickers Ltd as an
alternative to the Brinell method to measure the hardness of materials Since then, this
method has been the most popular among scientific community .Because of the shape of
the indenter employed & the wide latitude available in the applied loads, this method can be
used to measure the hardness of massive samples of the softest & hardest metals & alloys as well
as thin sheets or surface hardness of case-hardened materials or coatings. The Vickers
instrument is a precision unit that normally requires care in operation, rather than skill on the
part of the operator.

Most engineering materials are polycrystalline in nature & polyphasic in character,

that is, they contain many grains & more than one phase or micro-constituent It is
possible that the hardness of these microconstituents varies widely. Conventional hardness
tests provide only the average hardness value & do not provide any indication of the hardness
of the individual microconstituents/phases. The mechanical behavior, especially the wear
resistance, of a material can be rationalized in terms of the hardness of the individual
microstructural features.

The idea of nanoindentation arose from the realization that an indentation test is an excellent
way to measure the mechanical properties of small volumes of materials. In principle, if a very
sharp indenter is used, the size of the indentation is very small & consequently the volume of
the material tested is also small under these conditions, the size of the indentation is so small
that it will be difficult to see it without the help of a microscope. This problem is overcome by
depth-sensing indentation methods in which the load & displacement of the indenter (vertically
down into the specimen) are recorded during the indentation process.
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