Rockwell hardness

Description

A numerical measurement of the hardness of a material. The Rockwell hardness is determined by dropping a steel ball or diamond-tip cone of given diameter from a set distance on the test piece then measuring the size of the indentation. The resulting number is specified with a prefix that gives the load and type of indentor, i.e., HRC 30.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Rockwell number; Rockwell Härte (Deut.); dureté Rockwell (Fr.);

Authority

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 940

• Theodore J. Reinhart, 'Glossary of Terms', Engineered Plastics, ASM International, 1988

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993