Carbonitriding introduces and diffuses atomic nitrogen into the surface steel during carburization. This chapter focuses on case composition of a carbonitrided case, case depth, case hardenability, hardness gradients, void formation, and applications of carbonitriding. The chapter discusses furnaces suitable for carbonitriding, atmosphere constituents, batch furnace atmospheres, continuous furnace atmospheres, safety, temperature selection, quenching, tempering, and hardness testing of a carbonitrided case.

This chapter covers the steps and tests that are important to produce quality parts in heat treating. The quality tests discussed include hardness tests, such as Brinell, Rockwell, and microhardness tests. The chapter also examines tensile testing, toughness testing, optical metallography, and nondestructive testing. The chapter concludes by discussing in-process inspections and the final inspection.

This chapter discusses the methods and procedures used for inspecting induction-hardened parts. It provides information on hardness and case depth measurements, nondestructive testing and surface analysis, the effect of various hardening errors, and relevant test standards.

This chapter provides an overview of the various inspection methods used with metals and alloys, namely visual inspection, coordinate measuring machines, machine vision, hardness testing, tensile testing, chemical analysis, metallography, and nondestructive testing. The nondestructive testing methods discussed are liquid penetrant inspection, magnetic particle inspection, eddy current inspection, radiographic inspection, and ultrasonic testing.

This chapter discusses the operating mechanism, applications, advantages, and limitations of Brinell hardness testing, Rockwell hardness testing, Vickers hardness testing, Scleroscope hardness testing, and microhardness testing. In addition, the general precautions and selection criteria to be considered are described and details of equipment setup provided.

The inspection of castings normally involves checking for shape and dimensions, coupled with aided and unaided visual inspection for external discontinuities and surface quality. This chapter discusses methods for determining surface quality, internal discontinuities, and dimensional inspection. Casting defects including porosity, oxide films, inclusions, hot tears, metal penetration, and surface defects are reviewed. Liquid penetrant inspection, magnetic particle inspection, eddy current inspection, radiographic inspection, ultrasonic inspection, and leak testing for castings are discussed. The chapter provides information on the procedures involved in the inspection of castings that are limited to visual and dimensional inspections, weight testing, and hardness testing. It also discusses the use of computer equipment in foundry inspection operations.

Fabricated powder metallurgy (P/M) parts are evaluated and tested at several stages during manufacturing for part acceptance and process control. The various types of tests included are dimensional evaluation, density measurements, hardness testing, mechanical testing, and nondestructive testing. This chapter is a detailed account of these testing methods. It describes the four most common types of defects in P/M parts, namely ejection cracks, density variations, microlaminations, and poor sintering. The chapter discusses the capabilities and limitations of various nondestructive evaluation methods to flaw detection in P/M parts. The nondestructive evaluation methods covered are mechanical proof testing, metallography, liquid penetrant crack detection, filtered particle crack detection, magnetic particle crack inspection, direct current resistivity testing, x-ray radiography, computed tomography, gamma-ray density determination, and ultrasonic techniques.

This chapter explains how metallography and hardness testing are used to evaluate the quality and condition of metal products. It also discusses the use of tensile testing, fracture toughness and impact testing, fatigue testing, and nondestructive test methods including ultrasonic, x-ray, and eddy current testing.

This chapter discusses the history of hardness testing and defines the term hardness. It describes the interrelationship between material structure and hardness and the relationships between hardness and other mechanical material properties. In addition, information on the hardness unit and traceability of the hardness measurement are provided.

This chapter describes the procedures, characteristics, and applications for static hardness test methods. It addresses test methods that are state of the art, commonly used, or that may find increased use due to certain advantages. The methods addressed are Rockwell hardness testing (ISO 6508 and ASTM E 18), Vickers hardness testing (ISO 6507, ASTM E92, and ASTM E384), Brinell hardness testing (ISO 6506 and ASTM E10), and Knoop hardness testing (ISO 4545 and ASTM E284). The chapter also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of these test methods.

In dynamic hardness tests, the test force is applied to the defined indenter in an accelerated way (with a high application rate). Dynamic test methods relate hardness to the elastic response of a material, whereas the classical static indentation tests determine hardness in terms of plastic behavior. This chapter describes the most important and widespread dynamic hardness testing methods. These tests fall into two categories: methods in which the deformation is measured and methods in which the energy is measured. Methods that measure deformation include the Poldi hammer method, the shearing force method, the Baumann hammer method, and the Dynatest method. Methods that measure energy include the Shore method, the Leeb method, and the Nitronic method. The chapter concludes with a discussion of applications of dynamic hardness testing.

This chapter reviews the tests and procedures used for measuring hardness of plastics and elastomers. The conventional testing methods (Rockwell, Vickers, Brinell, and Knoop) used for testing of metals are based on the idea that hardness represents the resistance against permanent plastic deformation of the material to be tested. However, elastic deformation must be considered in hardness measurement of elastomers. This chapter discusses the equipment and processes involved in the durometer (Shore) test, the International Rubber Hardness Degree test, and other specialized tests. It presents the criteria that can be used to select a suitable hardness testing method for elastomers or plastics and describes processes involved in specimen preparation and equipment calibration.

Instrumented indentation hardness testing significantly expands on the capabilities of traditional hardness testing. It employs high-resolution instrumentation to continuously control and monitor the loads and displacements of an indenter as it is driven into and withdrawn from a material. The scope of application comprises displacements even smaller than 200 nm (nano range) and forces even up to 30 kN . Mechanical properties are derived from the indentation load-displacement data obtained in simple tests. The chapter presents the elements of contact mechanics that are important for the application of the instrumented indentation test. The test method according to the international standard (ISO 14577) is discussed, and this information is supplemented by information about the testing technique and some example applications. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the extensions of the standard that are expected in the future (estimation of the measurement uncertainty and procedures for the determination of true stress-strain curves).

This chapter reviews the general principles involved in codifying standards and describes the historical development of materials testing standards. It provides information on the standards related to the Brinell, Vickers, Rockwell, and Knoop methods as well as those for the instrumented indentation test and hardness conversions.

Metals are used in many engineering applications because of their mechanical properties, particularly strength and ductility. This chapter explains how mechanical properties are measured and how to interpret the results. It describes the most widely used tests, including tensile tests; Rockwell, Brinell, Vickers, and Knoop hardness tests; and Charpy V-notch impact tests. The chapter also provides information on loading conditions that can lead to fatigue failure, and in some cases, counteract or prevent it.