Geotechnical Measurement Engineering- Prof.

Satoru Kawasaki

2014

EQUOTIP HARDNESS TESTER:

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN HARDNESS AND TEXTURE
By: Shofa Rijalul Haq
Rocks are made of one or more minerals. Minerals are pure, solid, inorganic
(nonliving) materials found in Earth's crust. Rocks have chemical compositions and
physical properties related with their mineral properties. However, rocks with the same
mineral ingredients may be has different physical properties due to variations in the
amounts of minerals and the processes by which they are formed such as being burned,
doughy, or just right. Rock material properties include rock type, color, particle size,
texture, hardness, and strength.
Hardness is one of the physical rock parameter. According to Chandler (1999),
hardness has a variety of meanings. To the metals industry, it may be thought of as
resistance to permanent deformation. To the metallurgist, it means resistance to
penetration. To the lubrication engineer, it means resistance to wear. To the design
engineer, it is a measure of flow stress and to the mineralogist, it means resistance to
scratching. Hardness may also be referred to as mean contact pressure. In the other
definition, hardness is the subjective description of the resistance of an earth material
to permanent deformation, particularly by indentation (impact) or abrasion
(scratching) (ASTM D653 in USDA, 2012).
Hardness can be measured or tested by several classifications. The necessity of
all these different hardness classification is due to the need for categorizing the great
range of hardness from soft rubber to hard ceramics. Those classifications are as follows
(Private communication with Kawasaki, 2014).
1. Abrasive hardness : Deval, Los Angels, Taber
2. Rebound hardness: Shore, Duloscope, Equotip
3. Indentation hardness: Rockwell, Brinell, Vickers
4. Scratch hardness: Mohs, Martens
The Equotip hardness tester is one of the useful testers developed so as to
understand elastic properties and strengths of metallic materials. It is picked up as the
characteristics of the Equotip hardness tester that a small sample is needed for the test,
sampling time is short, and the tester is convenient for portable use (Kawasaki et al.,
2001). The equotip devise is an electronic battery-operated spring-based devise (see
Figure 1). The piston moves through a coil and causes a current through the coil. The

Geotechnical Measurement Engineering- Prof. Satoru Kawasaki

2014

voltage of the current which is proportional to the velocity of the piston, before impact
(V1) and after impact (V2) are measured automatically and displayed as a ratio (V1/V2
1000) which is denoted by the unit: L (Hack et al., 1993).

Figure 1. Equotip Instrument

Figure 2. Rock Samples

According to the comprehensive understanding about hardness measurement,
equotip tests were performed on five rock samples. The rock samples include granite,
gravel sand, welded tuff, tuff, and fine sand (see Figure 2). The sample dimensions were

Geotechnical Measurement Engineering- Prof. Satoru Kawasaki

2014

approximately 30 mm diameter, and 80 mm long. There were 5 measurement of

equotip rebound values for each sample. The results of hardness values tested by
equotip measurement are shown in Table 1, while the average and standard deviation
of the result are presented respectively in Figure 3 and Figure 4.
Table 1. Data of equotip hardness measurement on rock samples
No.
Measurement
1
2
3
4
5
AVERAGE
Standard
Deviation

Welded
Tuff
577
556
569
252
472
485.2

Tuff

Fine Sand

891
881
888
894
904
891.6

Gravel
Sand
865
841
849
847
856
851.6

575
492
656
603
618
588.8

715
679
691
632
697
682.8

8.444

9.209

136.948

61.504

31.228

Granit

Average
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0

891.6

851.6
682.8
588.8
485.2

Granit

Gravel Sand

Welded Tuff

Tuff

Fine Sand

Figure 3. Graphic of average value of equotip hardness tester.

Based on Figure 3, the highest value of average hardness is granite sample
followed with gravel sand, fine sand and tuff. While, the lowest value of hardness
average data is welded tuff. In the contrary, according to Figure 4 the most highest
value of hardness standard deviation data is welded tuff, and the lowest value of
hardness standard deviation data is granit.

Geotechnical Measurement Engineering- Prof. Satoru Kawasaki

2014

Standard Deviation
160.000
140.000

136.948

120.000
100.000
80.000
61.504

60.000
40.000
20.000

31.228

8.444
9.209

0.000
Granit

Gravel Sand Welded Tuff

Tuff

Fine Sand

Figure 4. Graphic of standard deviation value of equotip hardness tester

The correlation between average hardness and standardard hardness is invesely
proportional. According to Verwall and Mulder (1993), it is generally accepted that
surface rougness of the test specimen will affect result in rebound testing. It influences
standard deviation value. The texture and rougness of each rock samples are presented
in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Rock sample textures; 1. Granite, 2. Gravel sand, 3. Welded tuff,

4. Tuff, 5. Fine sand

Geotechnical Measurement Engineering- Prof. Satoru Kawasaki

2014

The average value of hardness measurement is influenced by the particle size

and texture of each rock samples. Particel size refers to the size of the particles that
make up a sedimentary or pyroclastic rock, while texture refers to the crystallinity and
granualarity of igneous and crstalline metamorphic rocks. In the other hand, the
standard deviation value of hardness measurement is influenced by the rougness of
surface samples. Granite is common type of felsic intrusive igneous rock which is
granular and phaneritic in texture. This phaneritic texture is proved by the size of the
crystalinity which is can be seen by naked eye. It forms by slow cooling of magma deep
underground in the plutonic environment. Gravel sand texture is also phaneritic. While
fine sand and tuff are aphanitic, which their component mineral crystals cannot
detectable by the naked eye. Welded tuff texture is porphyritic. It has a range of
particles size, from the largest agglomerates to very fine ashes.
Therefore it can be concluded that the hardness value of rock properties is
affected by texture parameter. The biggest particle size and texture of the rock has the
highest hardness value.
Reference:
Hack, H. R. G. K., Hingira, J., Verwaal., W., 1993, Determination of Discontinuity Wall
Strength by Equotip and Ball Rebound Test, International Journal of Rock Mechanics
Mineral Science & Geomechanics, Pergamon Press Ltd.
Harry Chandler, 1999, Hardness Testing, 2nd Edition, ASM International
Kawasaki, S., Yoshida, M., Tanimoto, C., Masuya, T., 2001, The Development of Property
Evaluation Method for Rock Materials based on the Simple Rebound Hardness Test:
Investigation on the Effects of Test Conditions and Fundamental Properties, Rock
Mechanics a Challenge for Society, Sarkka & Eloranta (eds), Sweets & Zeitlinger Lisse.
United States Department of Agriculture, 2012, National Engineering Handbook Part 631
Geology Chapter 4 Engineering Classification of Rock Materials, (Amend. 55, January
2012), Washington, DC
Verwaal, W., and Mulder, A., 1993, Technical Note Estimating Rock Strength with the
Equotip Hardness Tester, International Journal of Rock Mechanics Mineral Science &
Geomechanics, Pergamon Press Ltd