INSPECTION AND

TESTING OF
MATERIALS LAB
Project report
Submitted By:
Group: B-II
Samra Fatima (160301019)
Osama Saleem (160301020)
Zeeshan (160301021)
Zain Hanif (160301023)
Zaryab Asghar (160301022)

Submitted to:
Engr. Faisal Mustafa

Date: 07/01/2018
Table of Contents
1. ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... 2
2. OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................. 2
3. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 3
a. Vickers hardness test ............................................................................................... 3
b. Compression test...................................................................................................... 3
c. Charpy impact test ................................................................................................... 5
4. APPARATUS ................................................................................................................. 5
5. SAMPLE PREPARATIONS .......................................................................................... 6
i. Vickers hardness test: .............................................................................................. 6
ii. Compression test...................................................................................................... 6
iii. Charpy impact test ................................................................................................... 6
6. PROCEDURES............................................................................................................... 6
a. Vickers hardness test ............................................................................................... 6
b. Compression testing ................................................................................................ 7
c. Charpy Impact test ................................................................................................... 8
7. RESULTS, DISCUSSIONS & COMPARISONS .......................................................... 9
i. Vickers hardness test ............................................................................................... 9
ii. Compression test: .................................................................................................... 9
Sample: .................................................................................................................................. 9
Readings:.............................................................................................................................. 10
The value of compressive strength we obtained was 184 N/mm2 and according to
′MATWEB® Material Property Data’ the compressive strength of brass lies between
82.7 - 260 MPa. ................................................................................................................... 10
Precautions: .......................................................................................................................... 10
iii. Charpy impact test: ................................................................................................ 11
Precautions: .......................................................................................................................... 11
Sources of errors: ................................................................................................................. 11
8. CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................................... 11
PARTICIPATION TABLE ..................................................................................................... 12
9. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 13

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 1. ABSTRACT
In this project report we have determined the material of an eight inch circular rod by doing
different types of destructive and non-destructive testing. Three tests were being performed as
per ASTM standard specimens. The tests were Vickers hardness test to determine hardness of
that material, Charpy impact test to calculate impact energy and Compression test to
determine the compressive strength. After these test, all the values were compared to the
standards and the material identified that was cartridge brass.

2. OBJECTIVES
Three of the main objectives include;
 To perform Vickers hardness test.
 To perform Charpy impact test.
 To perform Compression test.
 To compare all the values obtained from the tests to the properties of other materials
and find which type of material is used in these experiments.

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 3. INTRODUCTION
Hardness of a material is an important factor by which the applications of the material are
determined. We are performing this experiment to determine the hardness of Brass sample
using Vickers Hardness Test. In this experiment we will determine the hardness of Brass
Sample at different points through Vickers hardness testing machine by indentation and
finding the average between the diagonals of the indentation to find the VPN (Vickers
Pyramid Number)
The compressive test is opposite in nature to the tensile test. In this testing, a circular rod
according to E-8 ASTM standards specimen is subjected to control compression until some
buckling is observed, where as in Charpy impact test we take a rectangular specimen
according to ASTM standards to determine impact energy of that specimen.

We are performing destructive testing techniques to determine the specimen

i- Vickers hardness test

ii- Compression test
iii- Charpy Impact test

a. Vickers hardness test

In the Vickers hardness test, an optical method, the size of indentation (the diagonals) left by
the indenter is measured. It involves a diamond indenter in the form of a square-based
pyramid with an apex angle of 136˚. The indenter is
being pressed under load for 10 to 15 seconds into
the surface of the specimen under test. The result is a
square-shape indentation. After the load and indenter
are removed the diagonals of the indentation d are
measured. The larger the indent left by the indenter
at a defined test force in the surface of a work piece
(specimen), the softer the tested material. Figure 1Schematics of Vickers Hardness test

b. Compression test
The most commonly used testing machine is known as Ultimate Testing Machine. This type
of machine has two crossheads; one is adjusted for the length of the specimen and the other is
driven to apply tension to the test specimen .There are four main parameters: force capacity,
speed, precision and accuracy.
Force capacity refers to the fact that the machine must be able to generate enough force to
fracture the specimen. The machine must be able to apply the force quickly or slowly enough
to properly mimic the actual application. Finally, the machine must be able to accurately and
precisely measure the gauge length and forces applied.

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Alignment of the test specimen in the testing machine is critical, because if the specimen is
misaligned, either at an angle or offset to one side, the machine will exert a bending force on
the specimen. If the initial portion of the stress–strain curve is curved and not linear, it
indicates the specimen is misaligned in the testing machine.
The strain measurements are most commonly measured with an extensometer, but strain
gauges are also frequently used on small test specimen. Newer test machines have digital
time, force, and elongation measurement systems consisting of electronic sensors connected
to a data collection device (often a computer) and software to manipulate and output the data.

Figure 2: Universal testing machine

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 c. Charpy impact test

The standard test for measuring impact energy is the Charpy test. This gives an indication of
the characteristics of the material during fracture.
An arm is swung down in a pendulum motion to impact with the test material. The energy
required to fracture the sample is recorded. The Charpy impact specimens are produced as a
bar containing a notch. The swinging arm of the impact tester provides the impact. The
sample will fracture along the plane indicated by the red line below. The arm continues
through after impacting and the height it swings to is a direct indication of the amount of
energy absorbed during fracture.

Figure 3schematics of Charpy impact test

4. APPARATUS
 Vickers hardness tester
 Universal testing machine
 Meta cut
 Lathe machine
 Milling machine
 Impact testing machine
 Vernier caliper

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 5. SAMPLE PREPARATIONS
For the preparation of sample according to ASTM standards we had an 8 inch rod shaped

i. Vickers hardness test:

ASTM Standard: E92 – 17 (flatness and smoothness of the surface of specimen are the basic
requirements)
 Firstly we cut the sample of length mm
 After we did facing with lathe machine to get finish surface
 With the help of grinder surface get more smoother
 Finally has been prepared according to standards
 For another complementary test we also made a cylindrical sample

ii. Compression test

ASTM Standard: ASTM E9 – 09 (Diameter = 13mm, length = 38mm)

 We cut the rod of 3.8mm according to ASTM standard of compression test specimen
with hacksaw
 We did facing for an even surface
 Sample prepared as per standards.

iii. Charpy impact test

ASTM Standard: ASTM E23-18 (10-10-55 mm ‘Length- Thickness-Width’, 2mm V-Notch)

 Firstly cut the sample 60mm with the help of hacksaw.
 With the help of lathe machine facing was done and
the sample reduced to 55mm.
 To prepare the sample according standards, we used
milling machine to convert 16mm diameter of rod to
flatten 10-10mm (thickness-widtht) from each side.
 Triangular file were used to get V-notch of 2mm at the
center of sample. Figure 4: Standard ASTM E23-18 sample
 Standard ASTM sample were finally obtained.

6. PROCEDURES

a. Vickers hardness test

 Place the specimen on the anvil under the indenter, the anvil can be disk like for flat
surface sample or V-shaped for cylindrical samples

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 Make sure the surface of the specimen is parallel to the surface of the anvil
 Use Hand wheel to move the elevating screw and bring the specimen close enough
that the crystal grains are visible in the microscope
 Place the indenter on position and select the load (kgf)
 Start the Machine, set the dwell time, and Press the start button on the machine to
start. The Machine will apply the load wait for a period of time set as dwell time than
the machine will remove the load
 Calculate the diagonal’s using the microscope
 Repeat this process to get three indents on the specimen by moving the specimen on
the anvil
 Observe and record the average diameter of indentation through a scope
 Repeat all the steps for other specimens if any
 Press the off button on the Machine
 Follow all the precautions of the Experiment and the safety measure required for this
experiment

b. Compression testing

 The original dimensions of the specimen like original dia., gauge length etc. is to be
measured
 Turn on the machine. Place the brass specimen in the center of loading area
 Lower the piston against the top of brass specimen by pushing the lever. Don’t apply
load just now. Just place the piston on top of specimen so that it’s touching that
 Now the piston is on top of specimen. It is the time to apply load. Pull the lever into
holding position. Start the compression test by pressing the zero button on the display
board
 By turning pressure increasing valve counter-clockwise, adjust the pressure on piston
so that it matches brass compression strength value. Apply the load gradually without
shock
 Observe the brass specimen. When it begins to break or buckling stop applying load
 Record the ultimate load on paper displaying on machine’s display screen
 Match your record once again with the result on display screen. The result should still
be on display screen. And then turn off the machine
 The result we got from testing machine is the ultimate load to bend the brass
specimen. The load unit is generally in lb. We have to convert it in newton (N). Our
purpose is, to know the brass compressive strength

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c. Charpy Impact test

 Choose the appropriate hammer and place it on the Starting

Position

 Check the zero calibration of the impact tester to check the

energy absorbed by air resistance. The energy absorbed is zero
error which is subtracted from all results
 Take the standard specimen (ASTM E23-18) for Charpy

Impact test and place it on the Anvil while keeping the notch Figure 5: Clamped sample
opposite and in line with point of impact
 Move the needle to the maximum (in this case i.e. 150 J)
 Clear the surrounding Space to avoid injury and Start the
machine by using the controller and press impact
 After the hammer arrives at its starting position again, stop the
machine and place it on rest position
 Note the reading on the scale respective of the hammer used

(i.e. smaller scale) Figure 6: After the test

Note: Test was performed at room temperature.

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 7. RESULTS, DISCUSSIONS & COMPARISONS

i. Vickers hardness test

VPN
No. Specimen Surface being Tested Average Diagonal
(kgf/mm2)

Brass (cylinder) 0.52+0.552

1 CURVED SURFACE = 0.536 64.5
2

0.482+0.52 73.9
= 0.501
2

0.49+0.541 69.6
= 0.516
2

Brass (sample 0.435+0.504 99.4

2 FLAT SURFACE = 0.432
size) 2

0.504+0.436 84.0
= 0.470
2

0.494+0.52
= 0.507 72.1
2

The above table shows the VPN numbers of the brass samples obtained by performing the
test three times each. The variation in hardness is due to the alloy nature of the samples these
values indicate the change in hardness value due to the load applied in different direction and
points/spots. The average VPN is taken as hardness of the sample for application which is
85.1 kgf/𝑚𝑚2 and it close to standard VPN of brass (i.e. 91 HV). A little variation is due to
the performance of experiment or may be the sample was not flat enough.

ii. Compression test:

Sample:

Shape = Cylinder

Specimen material = Brass

Ultimate force = 31.48KN

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Strain rate = 2mm/min

Readings:

Gauge length = 3.8mm

Diameter = 13mm

Area = 132.74mm2

Compressive strength = 24.5kN / 132.74 mm2 = 184.58 N/mm2

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

Figure 7: Stress-Strain curve for compression test of brass

The value of compressive strength we obtained was 184 N/ mm2 and according to
′MATWEB ® Material Property Data’ the compressive strength of brass lies between 82.7 -
260 MPa.

Precautions:

(a) The specimen must be kept at the center of cross-head so that a uniform compressive
loading can be assured on the specimen.
(b) The loading is to be increased gradually.
(c) The size of the specimen is to be measured accurately.

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 iii. Charpy impact test:

Temperature= 16 ᵒC
Energy loss due to air resistance = 0J
Sample length = 55mm
Sample height = 10mm
Sample width = 10mm
Energy absorbed after impact test (our sample) = 8.2J
The energy absorbed in the sample after impact test were 8.2J which is not comparable to
standard brass impact energy that is 11.1J this is due to the span length of the charpy test
machine was not as per standard and we were unable to fix that because of the L-key wasn’t
available at that time. May be sample was not prepared according to the exact standards (i.e.
if notch is deeper than 2mm the energy absorb will be less) or may be some of the material’s
fault. However it was closer to value of brass specimen.

Precautions:

 The destructive testing is performed, while performing experiment one should wear
protective glasses.
 Keep the distance about 3 feet at least from testing machine.
 Hammer should be attached perfectly, accident may happen.
 Safety precautions should be taken to protect personnel from the swinging pendulum,
flying broken specimens, and hazards associated with specimen warming and cooling
media.

Sources of errors:

 Span length may vary from standardizations i.e. 45mm

 While testing air resistance or impact strength energy one may get negative energy
value.
 Hammer may not be in the line of notch.

8. CONCLUSIONS
Compression test is the fundamental test which is done to determine the material compressive
strength under a load. The maximum stress a material can sustain under a load is determined.
Compression testing is often done to fracture point or up to buckling of a material.in this
experiment, we used Brass cylindrical rod then we apply load on the sample by moving the
crossheads together. During the test, the sample is compressed and deformed and when

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 buckling happens, we unload the specimen and with the help of stress-strain curve we can
determine the compressive strength of the sample. On performing the successful compression
test on the sample, we concluded that the Brass has more compressive strength then
Aluminum and has less compressive strength as compared to Mild steel.
Hardness testing plays a vital role in materials testing, quality control, and acceptance of
components. The data is needed in order to verify the heat treatment, structural integrity, and
quality of components that will help determine if a material has the properties essential for its
proposed use. Establishing a correlation between the desired material property and the
hardness result allows this, thus making hardness tests extremely useful in R&D and
industrial applications and also in assuring that the materials utilized in the things used every
day contribute to a well-engineered, safe and efficient world
Charpy impact test helped us to determine the energy (impact) absorbed by the specimen
which helped us in the determination of the metal. The ductile-brittle transition
temperature (DBTT) may be derived from the temperature where the energy needed to
fracture the material drastically changes. However, in practice there is no sharp transition and
it is difficult to obtain a precise transition temperature (it is really a transition region)
From these three tests, the values we achieved were closer to brass but the key thing was to
check what type of brass that was? Color observation totally rejected the white brass because
of its color. The values we got were closer to the values of cartridge brass. It contains 70
percent copper and 30 percent zinc and also alpha-brasses also contains morae than 35
percent zinc and more than 65 percent copper, so our specimen was cartridge brass which is
present in the types of alpha-brasses.

PARTICIPATION TABLE

Osama Zaryab
Name of Tasks Samra Fatima Zeeshan Zain Hanif
Saleem Asghar
Standards
Sample
Charpy,Compression Charpy Compression Hardness Meta Cut
Preparation
Vickers
Compression
Charpy
Documentation
Comparison
Compilation &
Formation

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9. REFERENCES

 Overview of materials for Brass. (2015). 𝑀𝐴𝑇𝑊𝐸𝐵 ® Material Property Data.

Retrieved from
http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=d3bd4617903543ada92f4c101
c2a20e5

 Learn About the Different Brass Types .(2016). The balance commodities. Retrieved
from https://www.thebalance.com/brass-types-3959219

 High Strength Yellow Brass. (2013). Azo Materials. Retrieved from

https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6479

 ASTM INERNATIONAL Helping our world work better. Retrieved from

https://www.astm.org/ ( for ASTM Standards Approval)

 ASTM E9 Compression Testing of Metallic Materials at Room Temperature. (2012).

Test Resources. Retrieved from
https://www.testresources.net/applications/standards/astm/astm-e9-compression-testing-
of-metallic-materials-at-room-temperature/

 Mr. Sahadev Shivaji Sutar. (2016). Analysis of Ductile-to-Brittle Transition

Temperature of Mild Steel . Department of Mechanical Engineering, Solapur
University. Retrieved from http://oaji.net/articles/2014/1511-1419830589.pdf

 Cantrell. A. (2016). Hardness of Brass. University of Washington. Retrieved from

http://www.materialseducation.org/educators/matedu_modules/docs/Hardness_of_Brass_
Slides.pdf
 Nikita Khlystov. (2013). Uniaxial Tension and Compression Testing of Materials.
Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/dlizardo/www/UniaxialTestingLabReportV6.pdf

 Olemule T. Owens (2010). Mechanics of Material Laboratory. Retrieved from

https://www.scribd.com/doc/42833168/Compression-Lab-Report

 EA Nyberg, VV Joshi (2012). Summary of Compression Testing. Retrieved from

https://www.pnnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-21932.pdf

 Digital Vernier Caliper Inch Metric Conversion. (2017). Conversion-Stainless-

Electronic-Measuring. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.co.uk/Conversion-
Stainless-Electronic-Measuring-OKPOW/dp/B071CNY44N

 The Universal Testing Machine ready for a tensile test (2016). Researchgate.
Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Universal-Testing-
Machine-ready-for-a-tensile-test_fig24_306017907

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 History Studies International Journal of History. (2015). bibme. Retrieved from
https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/faq-what-is-charpy-
testinghttps://www.mercerindustries.com/mercer_product/saw-files/

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