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Micro Vickers Hardness Tester

Micro Vickers Hardness Tester

Model: HVS-1000

Mirco Hardness Tester is a key piece of equipment that is indispensable to metallographic research, product quality control, and the development of product certification materials.

Vickers / Micro hardness test procedure as per ASTM E-384, EN ISO 6507, and ASTM E-92 standard specifies making indentation with a range of loads using a diamond indenter which is then measured and converted to a hardness value. For this purpose as long as test samples are carefully and properly prepared, the Vickers / Microhardness method is considered to be very useful for testing on a wide type of materials, including metals, composites, ceramics, or applications such as testing foils, measuring surface of a part, testing individual microstructures, or measuring the depth of case hardening by sectioning a part and making a series of indentations.

General Introduction

Mirco Hardness Tester is a key piece of equipment that is indispensable to metallographic research, product quality control, and the development of product certification materials.

Vickers / Micro hardness test procedure as per ASTM E-384, EN ISO 6507, and ASTM E-92 standard specifies making indentation with a range of loads using a diamond indenter which is then measured and converted to a hardness value. For this purpose as long as test samples are carefully and properly prepared, the Vickers / Microhardness method is considered to be very useful for testing on a wide type of materials, including metals, composites, ceramics, or applications such as testing foils, measuring surface of a part, testing individual microstructures, or measuring the depth of case hardening by sectioning a part and making a series of indentations.


Two types of indenters are generally used for the Vickers test family, a square base pyramid shaped diamond for testing in a Vickers hardness tester and a narrow rhombus shaped indenter for a Knoop hardness tester.

The Vickers hardness test method requires a pyramidal diamond with square base having an angle of 136° between the opposite faces. Upon completion of indentation, the two diagonals will be measured and the average value will be considered.

The loads for Micro Vickers or Knoop hardness testing methods are typically very low, ranging from a few grams to 2 kgs.


Key Features

  • Features
  • Application
  • Standard
  • Working principle

1, HVS-1000/1000Z Digital Micro Vickers Hardness Tester made with a unique and precise design in the field of mechanics ,optics and light source is able to produce a clearer indentation and hence a more precise measurement. HVS tester have two selections, large screen and small screen.

2, Adopts a 10* objectives, 40* objectives and 10* digital microscope enable the tester a wider measurement field and broader usage range.

3, It shows testing method, test force, indentation length, hardness value, dwell time of test force as well as the number of measuring times, all shown on LCD screen. On the screen can also input testing date, like year, month, day, measuring result, analysis result etc.;

4, With a special thread interface, can link a video measuring device and indentation automatically measuring device without changing optical path.

5, The CCD pickup camera device and image handling system can be equipped on the tester as optional;

6, Knoop indenter is optional;


Microhardness testers, especially Vickers hardness testers, are key testing instruments in the field of materials science and engineering, playing an irreplaceable role in evaluating material properties at the microscopic scale. The testing principle is based on pressing a specifically shaped indenter into the material surface under a very small load, and calculating the hardness value by measuring the length of the indentation diagonals. 

The importance of this testing method is mainly reflected in several aspects: Firstly, it can accurately measure the hardness of tiny components, thin-layer materials, surface-modified layers, and individual grains, providing critical data support for material design and process optimization; secondly, in scenarios such as heat treatment process evaluation, coating performance verification, and welded zone performance analysis, microhardness testing can reveal the distribution patterns of materials' microscopic mechanical properties; moreover, in failure analysis, the hardness gradient test can accurately determine the root cause of material failure. With the continuous development of new materials and new processes, microhardness testing has become increasingly widely used in high-tech fields such as aerospace, automotive manufacturing, electronic components, and biomedical devices, becoming an indispensable analytical tool in quality control and technology development.


The testing projects of a microhardness tester (Vickers hardness tester) cover multiple dimensions, mainly including: determination of the microhardness of the material matrix, measurement of the hardness and thickness of diffusion layers/coatings, assessment of the depth of heat-treated hardened layers, mapping of hardness distribution in welded joints, study of material anisotropy, analysis of hardness differences at grain boundaries and within grains, and characterization of interfacial properties of composite materials. The testing scope not only includes traditional metallic materials but is also widely applicable to hardness evaluation of ceramics, hard alloys, glass, plastics, and various composites. It is particularly worth mentioning that due to the shallow and elongated nature of Vickers impressions, Vickers hardness testing shows unique advantages in measuring brittle materials and thin-layer samples, enabling precise measurement of coatings or treated layers only a few microns thick, which is difficult to achieve with other hardness testing methods.

ASTM E384 “Standard Test Method for Microindentation Hardness of Materials”


ISO 6507 “Metallic materials -- Vickers hardness test”

The Vickers hardness tester uses a diamond square pyramid indenter with an included angle of 136°, which is pressed into the material surface under a selected test force (usually 49.03 to 980.7 N). After maintaining the force for a specified time, the test force is removed. Then, the length of the diagonals of the indentation is measured under a microscope, and the Vickers hardness value is calculated using the formula HV = 0.1891 × F / d² (where F is the test force and d is the average length of the indentation diagonals).


The core principle lies in the geometric similarity of the indentation, making the test results independent of the test force, thereby allowing accurate measurement over a wide range from very soft to very hard materials. Depending on the testing requirements, Vickers hardness testers are also classified into low-force type (<49.03 N) and microhardness type (<1.961 N), suitable for testing special samples such as thin layers, coatings, or metal foils.

Digital Vickers hardness tester

Main Technical Specification

ModelHVS-1000HVS-1000Z
Test ForceN0.098, 0.246, 0.49, 0.98, 1.96, 2.94, 4.90, 9.80
gf10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, 500, 1000
Lens/indenter switchManualAutomatic Motorized Turret
Force loading modeAutomatic loading, holding and unlaoding
Holding time5-60S
Amplification of microscope100*, 400*
Min. measuring resolution rate0.0315μm
Testing field1HV~2967HV
Dimension of XY table100*100mm
Moving range of XY table25*25mm
Max. height of test sample75mm
Max.width of test sample95mm
OutputWith built-in printer and RS232 serial interface
Light sourceHalogen light
PowerAC 220V, 50/60HZ
Net Weight35Kg
Standard AccessoriesVickers indenter; Objectives (10*, 40*); 10* digital micro lens;
XY-stage test table; thin specimen test table; Fork-shaped test table; Fine wire test table; Adjustable screw; lever, RS232 interface; Micro vickers hardness block; Manual etc.


Acceessories

Vickers indenter;

Objectives (10*, 40*);

10* digital micro lens;

XY-stage test table;

thin specimen test table;

Fork-shaped test table;

Fine wire test table;

Adjustable screw;

lever,

RS232 interface;

Micro vickers hardness block;

Manual etc.

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Beijing United Test Co., Ltd.