|
Superhard Materials
A superhard material is a material with a hardness value exceeding 40 gigapascals ( GPa) when measured by the Vickers hardness test. They are virtually incompressible solids with high electron density and high bond covalency. As a result of their unique properties, these materials are of great interest in many industrial areas including, but not limited to, abrasives, polishing and cutting tools, disc brakes, and wear-resistant and protective coatings. Diamond is the hardest known material to date, with a Vickers hardness in the range of 70–150 GPa. Diamond demonstrates both high thermal conductivity and electrically insulating properties, and much attention has been put into finding practical applications of this material. However, diamond has several limitations for mass industrial application, including its high cost and oxidation at temperatures above 800 °C. In addition, diamond dissolves in iron and forms iron carbides at high temperatures and therefore is ineffic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vickers Hardness Test
The Vickers hardness test was developed in 1921 by Robert L. Smith and George E. Sandland at Vickers Ltd as an alternative to the Brinell scale, Brinell method to measure the hardness of materials. The Vickers test is often easier to use than other hardness tests since the required calculations are independent of the size of the indenter, and the indenter can be used for all materials irrespective of hardness. The basic principle, as with all common measures of hardness, is to observe a material's ability to resist plastic deformation from a standard source. The Vickers test can be used for all metals and has one of the widest scales among hardness tests. The unit of hardness given by the test is known as the Vickers Pyramid Number (HV) or Diamond Pyramid Hardness (DPH). The hardness number can be converted into units of pascal (unit), pascals, but should not be confused with pressure, which uses the same units. The hardness number is determined by the load over the surface area ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cubic Boron Nitride
Boron nitride is a thermally and chemically resistant refractory compound of boron and nitrogen with the chemical formula B N. It exists in various crystalline forms that are isoelectronic to a similarly structured carbon lattice. The hexagonal form corresponding to graphite is the most stable and soft among BN polymorphs, and is therefore used as a lubricant and an additive to cosmetic products. The cubic ( zincblende aka sphalerite structure) variety analogous to diamond is called c-BN; it is softer than diamond, but its thermal and chemical stability is superior. The rare wurtzite BN modification is similar to lonsdaleite but slightly softer than the cubic form. Because of excellent thermal and chemical stability, boron nitride ceramics are used in high-temperature equipment and metal casting. Boron nitride has potential use in nanotechnology. History Boron nitride was discovered by chemistry teacher of the Liverpool Institute in 1842 via reduction of boric acid with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brinell Scale
The Brinell hardness test (pronounced /brəˈnɛl/) measures the indentation hardness of materials. It determines hardness through the scale of penetration of an indenter, loaded on a material test-piece. It is one of several definitions of hardness in materials science. The hardness scale is expressed in terms of a Brinell hardness value, sometimes referred to as the Brinell hardness number but formally expressed as HBW (Hardness Brinell Wolfram – Wolfram being an alternative name for the tungsten carbide ball indenter used during the test). The test was named after Johan August Brinell (1849-1925) who developed the method at the end of the 19th century. History Premiered by Swedish engineer Johan August Brinell at the 1900 Paris Exposition, it was the first widely used and standardised hardness test in engineering and metallurgy. The large size of indentation and thus possible damage to test-pieces limits its usefulness. However, it also had the useful feature that the h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nanoindenter
A nanoindenter is the main component for indentation hardness tests used in nanoindentation. Since the mid-1970s nanoindentation has become the primary method for measuring and testing very small volumes of mechanical properties. Nanoindentation, also called ''depth sensing indentation'' or ''instrumented indentation'', gained popularity with the development of machines that could record small load and displacement with high accuracy and precision. The load displacement data can be used to determine modulus of elasticity, hardness, yield strength, fracture toughness, scratch hardness and wear resistance, wear properties. Types There are many types of nanoindenters in current use differing mainly on their tip geometry. Among the numerous available geometries are three and four sided Pyramid (geometry), pyramids, Wedge (geometry), wedges, Cone (geometry), cones, Cylinder (geometry), cylinders, filaments, and spheres. Several geometries have become a well established common stan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
