Features of Measuring the Hardness of a Metal Surface Modified with Ultrafine Particles of Minerals

Приборы и методы измерений. 2020. Vol. 11. No. 3. P. 212–221.

Skazochkin A. V., Bondarenko G.G., Zukowski P.

The aim of the article was to study the hardness of a metal surface modified with ultrafine particles of minerals by two different methods (instrumental indentation and Vickers hardness measurement) and a comparative analysis of the measurement results obtained by these methods.Standard Vickers hardness measurements at loads of 0.025, 0.1, and 0.5 kgf showed a qualitative difference between the hardness values ​​of the two samples modified with different mixtures of ultrafine particles of minerals and a large heterogeneity of the hardness values ​​over the area. By the method of instrumental hardness, standard measurements were performed without preliminary selection of the indentation site (at a load of 1.05 N) and measurements during indentation into even sections (at low loads of 10 mN).It is noted that the high precision of measurements implemented by instrumental indentation, due to the large roughness of the samples, leads to large values ​​of the error in calculating the measurement results. An additional difference in the results of measurements performed by two methods at shallow indentation depths may be due to the fact that the object under study has a complex structure consisting of a metal matrix and particles distributed over the depth of the sample. A possible way out of the situation lies in the transition from the use of hardness measures when calibrating instruments to standard samples of properties for which the constancy of mechanical properties in the measured range of indentation depths will be ensured, but which are not yet available in research practice.

Keywords: минеральные покрытия, metal surface, hardness, твердость, mineral coatings, металлическая поверхность