UCI portable hardness testers offer nondestructive material inspection services and offer non-destructive hardness testing of various materials. These devices can measure the hardness of products such as small fogging, cast materials, welds, heat affected zones, Ion-nitride stamping dies and molds, thin-walled parts bearings or tooth flanks.
Under a set load, a measurement probe with a 136-degree diamond at its tip is depressed into material being measured, digitally measuring hardness values that result from this contact and saving them for future reference.
Optimal test force
Non-destructive hardness tests are an indispensable piece of manufacturing equipment, especially during quality inspection and production of parts with complex geometries. While traditional indentation tests like Brinell, Rockwell, and Vickers may cause damage to samples being tested, NewSonic’s UCI portable device SonoDur 3 allows instant and reliable hardness testing on hard to reach components for instantaneous hardness evaluation.
UCI tests rely on changes in vibration frequency to determine hardness grades, with a vibrating rod vibrating longitudinally until coming in contact with test material and using its deviation from its reference block frequency as an indicator for hardness measurements.
The UCI portable hardness tester is ideal for many different applications such as fogging, cast material inspection and heat-affected zones, Ion-nitride stamping dies and molds, thin-walled parts bearings and tooth flanks etc. The device supports all standard hardness values (HV, HB & HRC) while offering an intuitive interactive user interface as well as programming functions as well as additional scales for measurement.
Optimal test position
UCI is a portable hardness testing method using a vibrating rod fitted with a Vickers diamond of 136 degrees at its tip, also known as Vickers diamond. This test does not damage work samples and can be conducted anywhere; instrument software electronically evaluates each Vickers diamond indent as a hardness value.
As soon as a test load is applied, the vibration frequency changes due to contact resistance between the test sample and Vickers diamond. This change is precisely measured as a shift in vibration frequency and converted into Vickers hardness value.
NOVOTEST MIC 10 UCI Hardness Tester works according to the modified Vickers methodology (UCI method), meaning each diamond indentation created is quickly evaluated and displayed as its respective hardness value – making this tester easy to use even in challenging test positions and complex component geometries such as at the base of gear teeth.
Optimal test speed
The UCI method (sometimes known as the modified Vickers test) employs the same diamond indenter but measures its effect by monitoring changes in vibration frequency instead of optical evaluation of test indentation. This takes only fractions of seconds and provides accurate hardness measurements.
Portable UCI hardness testers are ideal for weld inspections, quality control of metal coatings, hard-to-reach areas and complex material geometries that may require testing. Unlike Dynamic Impact style portable hardness testers, the UCI testers do not impose restrictions on sample size and thickness limiting results to accurately reflect results from testing samples.
The UCI portable hardness tester consists of a handheld host equipped with either a manual or motorized measurement probe that is pressed against a work piece by its operator, then displayed digitally and stored. Measurements can be repeated and converted to Rockwell, Brinell or Vickers hardness values; Leeb test results may also be taken in order to measure abrasion resistance on stamping dies, molds and forms coated with ion-nitrided materials, casting materials with heat affected zones or thin-walled structures and parts.
Optimal test depth
Non-destructive testing (NDT) has become an invaluable asset across industries and manufacturing processes. While traditional diamond or ball indentation testing methods, which involve damaging material during testing, Ultrasonic Contact Impedance Hardness Testing provides fast, accurate results without damaging it further.
UCI test procedures involve depressing a mechanical resonator fitted with a Vickers microhardness indenter into a material, creating vibrational frequency shifts within the resonator that are measured and directly correlate to its hardness value.
Portable UCI testers can be used on an array of materials and sizes, from small items and objects with thin walls or complex shapes to hardening layers and surface hardening layers. When combined with an appropriate material table, this allows for extensive testing applications.
