3. Hardness testing
3.1 Historical interest
They are used to classify materials according to their resistance to deformation by penetration with a harder material.
The first hardness scale was established arbitrarily by Mohs in 1812, for use by mineralogists. It comprises a list of 10 minerals ranked in order of increasing hardness, from talc (1, the softest) to diamond (10, the hardest), each mineral scratching the previous one and being scratched by the next.
This scale is of no interest to the metallurgist. The hardest steel (quenched high-speed steel) would rank at around 8.5, while extra-mild steel would rank at around 3.5.
The experimental difficulties are great, and the precision relatively low. The test you can perform with a file is a rudimentary...
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Hardness testing
Resilience testing
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