Rockwell Hardness Testing on Large Components and Structures

A manufacturer of oil drilling equipment required a system to perform hardness testing on a variety of their larger products. The functionality of the Rockwell® 2000 Hardness Tester was ideal, but the test space offered by the standard frame was insufficient for the larger test samples. The size of the standard Brinell frame and its 24in throat distance (front to back distance from point of indent to support frame) was ideal for the application.  Our Engineered Solutions Group suggested a combination of the two frames.

 

A standard Instron® Brinell frame includes a large hydraulic cylinder mounted at the top of the frame that is powered by a hydraulic pump located in the base. For this application, the Rockwell 2000 was mounted in place of the hydraulic cylinder and the accompanying electronics were mounted in the bottom of the frame where the Brinell hydraulic unit would normally reside. With the addition of extra length cables to extend from the test head down to the electronics, the Brinell frame proved to be easily convertible to a Rockwell system.

 

To round out the functionality of the system, the control electronics were placed on articulated arms that the user could easily swing into the most ergonomical locations. Several indenters were included along with an extended length anvil to ease the calibration routine. Finally, a second E-stop was added to the system; in the event of an accident, power to the indenter could be cut from highly visible push buttons located on either side of the frame.

  

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