Barcol hardness test 1

Barcol hardness test

The Barcol hardness test characterizes the indentation hardness of materials through the depth of penetration of an
indentor, loaded on a material sample and compared to the penetration in a reference material. The method is most
often used for composite materials such as reinforced thermosetting resins or to determine how much a resin or
plastic has cured. The test complements the measurement of glass transition temperature, as an indirect measure of
the degree of cure of a composite. It is inexpensive and quick, and provides information on the cure throughout a
part.[1]

Barcol impressor
Originally called the Barber-Colman Impressor, the Barcol impressor was developed by Walter Colman as a
hand-held, portable means of assessing the hardness of a material during World War II.[2] The United States Army
Air Corps required a hand-held method of checking the hardness of rivets due to concerns that aircraft could be
sabotaged by replacing normal rivets with soft lead or wooden ones which would fail during flight.[3] The impressor
operates when the tip is pressed against the material in question.[3] The hardness of the material determines how far
the tip indents and this is transferred by a tension spring and lever to be read on a dial.[3]

Operation
The Barcol hardness test is generally used on soft materials such as rigid plastics. It measures hardness based on
indentation of a sharp point with a flat tip. The test is performed using a similar method and indentation device as
that used to measure Shore D hardness however the Shore D indentor has a round tip.[4] Barcol hardness is not a
valid hardness measure for curved surfaces.[5]

Scales and values

The governing standard for the Barcol hardness test is ASTM D 2583.[4] Barcol hardness is measured on a scale
from 0 to 100 with the typical range being between 30B and 90B. A measurement of 60B is roughly equivalent to a
Shore hardness of 80D or a Rockwell hardness M100.[4] As defined in ASTM D 2583 the scale divisions from 0-100
should each indicate a depth of 0.0076 mm or the equivalent 0.0003 inches.[6]

References
[1] "A model specification for FRP composites for civil engineering structures.(fiber reinforced polymer composite materials)" (http:/ / www.
accessmylibrary. com/ coms2/ summary_0286-19509666_ITM). Construction and Building Materials. 2003-09-01. . Retrieved 2008-06-15.
[2] "The Barcol Impressor" (http:/ / www. barcol-impressor. com/ ). Archived (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080622143542/ http:/ / www.
barcol-impressor. com/ ) from the original on 22 June 2008. . Retrieved 2008-06-15.
[3] Bennett, Robert B (September 1967). "Impressor Impresses Industry" (http:/ / www. barcol-impressor. com/ ww2-db. htm). Barber-Colman
News. . Retrieved 2008-06-15.
[4] "Barcol Hardness" (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=oe5YJmRmxQMC& pg=PA52& dq=Barcol+ Hardness+ test&
sig=zhZZTpbsomXDcZJMIGPYTTR0Ysk). Plastics Materials and Processes: A Concise Encyclopedia. John Wiley and Sons. . Retrieved
2008-02-10.
[5] "NHML Resources - Hardness Testing" (http:/ / nhml. com/ resources_NHML_Hardness-Testing. php). New Hampshire Materials
Laboratory, Inc.. Archived (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080512075528/ http:/ / nhml. com/ resources_NHML_Hardness-Testing. php)
from the original on 12 May 2008. . Retrieved 2008-06-21.
[6] ASTM D 2583-07 "Standard Test Method for Indentation Hardness of Rigid Plastics by Means of a Barcol Impressor". ASTM International.
Revision as of 2007-03-01
Article Sources and Contributors 2

Article Sources and Contributors

Barcol hardness test  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=515086017  Contributors: Darthbenton, Rich Farmbrough, Stardust8212, Wayne Slam, 4 anonymous edits

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