Hardness at work: an overview of the most common hardness testing methods

摘要

Three elements of a metalcutting system are the workpiece material, cutting tool and machine tool. The properties of the work material need to be taken into account with the other two elements to make a metalcutting system as effective as possible. The mechanical and physical properties of workpiece materials are what distinguish one from another of the mechanical properties, hardness and ultimate tensile strength are essential, since they affect the cutting forces and machining power. Traditionally, guidelines for the selection of cutting tool geometry and grade have been based on tool application considerations. Only limited attention has been paid to workpiece hardness, which is a mistake. Knowledge of the work material hardness and ultimate tensile strength enhances one's ability to select the best cutting tools for the application and leads to higher levels of accuracy when calculating cutting forces and machining power requirements.