Hardness Data Acquisition
Hardness™ v2.1 can be used with any hardness tester to acquire static hardness measurements automatically. Once acquired, these data can be displayed in tabular or graphical form, printed, statistically analyzed, and converted to various hardness scales.
System Features
The software is compatible with any hardness tester equipped with an RS232 communications port. The default software configuration will work with most testers, but custom settings can be adjusted as required.
ASTM E 140 Scale Conversion
The measured data can be converted automatically to any scales provided in ASTM E 140. Figure 1 shows Rockwell C (HRC) measurements being converted to Vickers hardness (HV) as the Rockwell C data are acquired. The mean, standard deviation, and min/max data are updated as the measurements are made. In addition, the software can be used to convert previously measured or published data.
Figure 1 - Acquire: Data Collection Tab
Graphical Display
Both the base and conversion scales can be displayed graphically (Figure 2). The user controls the upper and lower sigma bands (ex., 2 sigma or 3 sigma level) that are displayed on the graph.
Figure 2 - Graphical Display of the Base and Conversion Scales