Vickers hardness test

Diagram depicting the Vickers hardness test - pyramid-shaped indenter and measurement of the indentation's diagonals

In the Vickers hardness test, the indenter is a blunt diamond pyramid. Its tip is pressed into the test piece's surface with a defined Force for a specific period. The test force reaches its maximum value within five seconds and then acts for 10-15 seconds.

Once the indenter has been removed, the pyramid-shaped indentations and are measured and then the average dimension of the two diagonals is calculated. The material's state of stress does not change due to the diamond pyramid's geometry so, unlike the Brinell method, the Vickers hardness test produces load-independent hardness values. It thus provides highly precise measurements and is suitable for virtually all materials.

The Vickers hardness test can also be used for microscopic tests (individual crystals, microstructures) and for thin layers. Since only an extremely small indentation is created in the case of very hard materials, surfaces require fine Machining in such cases and may even need to be polished.

The Vickers hardness test is performed on universal hardness testers and is primarily used in laboratories.