Hardness scale

Table 2. Approximate Relation Between Hardness Scales ...

Conversion to other hardness scales from Vickers is approximated for specific materials Hsted in ASTM E140 (2). Conversions outside the stated areas should be avoided unless supported by test data. 

MohsAn early (1822) hardness comparison test involved assigning a relative number to aH known materials (usuaHy minerals and pure metals) by virtue of their relative abHity to scratch one another. The results of this classification are not relatable to other properties of materials or to other measures of hardness. As a result of this limited useflilness, the Mohs hardness test is primarily used for mineral identification. Some examples of the Mohs hardness scale, which ranks materials from 1 to 10, are Hsted in Table 6. 

This test finds appHcation on finely poHshed and/or etched metaHographic samples and mineralogical samples. It is useful for distinguishing variations in hardness between adjacent microconstituents. The test is extremely deHcate and therefore is Httle used commercially. Use is largely restricted to research institutions. There is no estabHshed means of converting scratch hardness data to other hardness scales. 

Scleroscope hardness numbers are convertible to other hardness scales (see ASTM E140) (2). 

Barcol Indenter. The Barcol hardness tester is a hand-held, spring-loaded instmment with a steel indenter developed for use on hard plastics and soft metals (ASTM D2583) (2). In use the indenter is forced into the sample surface and a hardness number is read direcdy off the integral dial indicator caUbrated on a 0 to 100 scale. Barcol hardness numbers do not relate to nor can they be converted to other hardness scales. The Barcol instmment is caUbrated at each use by indenting an aluminum ahoy standard disk suppHed with it. The Barcol test is relatively insensitive to surface condition but may be affected by test sample size and thickness. 

The LSI measures only the directional tendency or driving force for calcium carbonate to precipitate or dissolve. It caimot be used as a quantitative measure. Two different waters, one of low hardness (corrosive) and the other of high hardness (scale-forrning), can have the same saturation index. 

Sca.Ie nd Sta.in Controllers. Polyacrjiates (low molecular weight) and organic phosphonates, eg, (l-hydroxyethyhdene)diphosphonic acid, prevent or control precipitation of CaCO by acting as chelating agents (qv) or dispersants (qv) to prevent excessive formation of hard scale by promoting crystal distortion. 

For the purpose of corrosion, water is scaling or nonscaling. Scaling water tends to deposit generally protective hardness scales. Soft water does not scale and hence is potentially more corrosive especially when it contains dissolved gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, ammonia and sulfur oxides. 

Acid Pickling This process is widely used for removing rust and millscale from steel, or for removing internal scales from boilers. The objective of the process is the dissolution of iron oxides or hydroxides or hardness scales, but at the same time the iron will also tend to corrode in the acid, with hydrogen... 

The practice of corrosion inhibition requires that the inhibitive species should have easy access to the metal surface. Surfaces should therefore be clean and not contaminated by oil, grease, corrosion products, water hardness scales, etc. Furthermore, care should be taken to avoid the presence of deposited solid particles, e.g. stones, swarf, building materials, etc. This ideal state of affairs is often difficult to achieve but there are many cases where less than adequate consideration has been given to the preparation of systems to receive inhibitive treatment. Acid treatments, notably with 3-5% citric acid, with or without associated detergent washes, are often recommended and adopted for cleaning systems prior to inhibition. However, it is not always appreciated that these treatments will not remove particulate material particularly when, as is often the case, the material is insoluble in acids. 

Degreasing is usually undertaken by means of alkaline and/or organic reagents. The dissolution of hardness scale and oxides is carried out with... 

Tests for indention under load are performed basically like the ASTM measure the hardness of other materials, such as metals and ceramics. There are at least four popular hardness scales in use. Shore A and Shore D is for soft to relatively hard plastics and elastomers. Barcol is used from the mid-range of Shore D to above it as well as RPs. Rockwell M is used for very hard plastics (Chapter 5, MECHANICAL PROPERTY, Hardness),... 

Although any given source of water typically has a wide range of dissolved minerals present, and each of these has a potential for causing difficulties to a greater or lesser extent, it is the alkaline earth salts (.hardness salts) that are always present to some degree and generally are the most troublesome in a boiler. This section discusses these salts, their presence in natural makeup (MU) water sources, and their contribution to hardness scales and deposition in boiler plants. 

Alpha quartz aSi02 Hard scale found in drum, tubes, and turbine blades. 

Natrolite Na2OAl203 3Si02 2H20 Moderate hardness scale. 

Nepheline various structures eg [Na4K2Alfi(Si04)2] Moderate hardness scale. 

The design is further claimed to fully treat full flows of water in a single pass when installed direct to mains supplies, and water treated magnetically maintains its state for up to five days. Treatment results in hardness ions being attracted to other ions (rather than to pipework), resulting in a larger neutral body that has no ability to adhere to pipe walls or other contact surfaces, so that no incrustations or hard scales form. ... 

Coagulation and precipitation programs These programs are extremely widely used and employ various types of phosphates as a precipitant to provide control over the unwelcome deposition of hardness scales. Carbonate and polysilicates were once commonly used, although less so today. 

Several different possible zeolite structures may result, and if the sodium content is too high, calcium and magnesium are excluded and a hard zeolite scale of sodium-aluminum silicate preferentially forms. If only calcium is present, calcium-aluminum silicate zeolite forms, also as a hard scale. If only magnesium is present in solution, it forms the flocculant magnesium aluminate, MgAl204. 

In summary, the carbonate-cycle program provides preferred precipitation and coagulation reactions to prevent hard scale from forming. Key functions are ... 

NOTE Although the addition ofHF to HCl can be beneficial in helping to control the corrosion of steel (because fluoride ions form very stable self-limiting complexes with ferric ions), HF should not be used where significant hardness scales are present because calcium and magnesium fluorides (CaF2, MgF2) may be precipitated. 

Cathodic protection is a useful supplement to other forms of water treatment, as a general corrosion inhibiting device in HW boilers, or where specific design configurations can lead to inadequately protected localized metal in steam boilers. Where BW makeup demands are minimal and boiler output is fairly constant, cathodic protection devices can also provide some measure of protection against hardness scales. Calcium carbonate salt is formed as a floc-culant or soft sludge rather than a hard scale, due to the peptizing effects of a zinc hydroxide complex formed from zinc ions in alkaline BW. 

An alternative to the measurement of the dimensions of the indentation by means of a microscope is the direct reading method, of which the Rockwell method is an example. The Rockwell hardness is based on indentation into the sample under the action of two consecutively applied loads - a minor load (initial) and a standardised major load (final). In order to eliminate zero error and possible surface effects due to roughness or scale, the initial or minor load is first applied and produce an initial indentation. The Rockwell hardness is based on the increment in the indentation depth produced by the major load over that produced by the minor load. Rockwell hardness scales are divided into a number of groups, each one of these corresponding to a specified penetrator and a specified value of the major load. The different combinations are designated by different subscripts used to express the Rockwell hardness number. Thus, when the test is performed with 150 kg load and a diamond cone indentor, the resulting hardness number is called the Rockwell C (Rc) hardness. If the applied load is 100 kg and the indentor used is a 1.58 mm diameter hardened steel ball, a Rockwell B (RB) hardness number is obtained. The facts that the dial has several scales and that different indentation tools can be filled, enable Rockwell machine to be used equally well for hard and soft materials and for small and thin specimens. Rockwell hardness number is dimensionless. The test is easy to carry out and rapidly accomplished. As a result it is used widely in industrial applications, particularly in quality situations. 

Figure 1.3 Correlation between the Moh scratch hardness and Vickers indentation hardness scales.

However, to develop some intuitive sense of hardness it is useful to consider the Moh scratch hardness scale. This is a rank-hle scale consisting of ten levels. Each level has been assigned to a particular mineral such that the mineral at level n is capable of scratching the one at level (n - l).The mineral at the lowest level (designated 1) is talc, and the highest (designated 10) is diamond. 

Although not one of the most frequently discussed properties of solids, hardness is an important consideration in many instances, especially in the area of mineralogy. In essence, hardness is a measure of the ability of a solid to resist deformation or scratching. It is a difficult property to measure accurately, and for some materials a range of values is reported. Because of the nature of hardness, it is necessary to have some sort of reference so that comparisons can be made. The hardness scale most often used is that developed by Austrian mineralogist F. Mohs in 1824. The scale is appropriately known as the Mohs scale. Table 7.11 gives the fixed points on which the scale is based. 

Table 7.11 Reference Materials for the Mohs Hardness Scale. ...

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