Mechanics analysis and simulation of material Brinell hardness measurement

► We study Brinell hardness measurement from a mechanics analysis viewpoint. ► We use Finite element analysis and Monte Carlo method to simulate Brinell hardness measurement process. ► This mechanics analysis and simulation method is proved by practical experiments. Material Brinell hardness values are usually measured by force loading Brinell hardness testers. In this paper, firstly, based on experiment data and theoretical analysis, not only the relationship between Brinell hardness and mechanical properties of the measured material is discussed, but also all measurement uncertainty sources are precisely calibrated. Secondly, force loading characteristics of the Brinell hardness measurement are described and a finite element analysis for the whole Brinell hardness measurement process is introduced. Thirdly, to acquire theoretical measurement uncertainties and the reliable Brinell hardness values of the material under analysis, Monte Carlo method is applied to simulate Brinell hardness experiments. At last, several sets of experiments are carried out on HB-3000C, the Brinell hardness results acquired by this proposed novel mechanics analysis method and practical experiments shown to be consistent, and the validity of the proposed method is attained.