Patent GB-1522532-A (GB)
Title: Hand-operable hardness tester
IPC: G01N3/00
Filed: 1976-03-04
Abstract: 1522532 Hardness tester A ERNST 4 March 1976 [12 March 1975 10 April 1975] 08769/76 Heading G1S A hand pressed hardness tester, Figs. 1, 6, comprises a partial ring 12 surrounding the lower part of a housing 6 and is provided with extensions 13, 14 on which pressure may be exerted by an operator's hands, the force being transmitted via a gauge weight counterbalancing rod 15 to a cover 16 provided with a transparent top 21 through which the operator may sight on a vertical aligning mark 25 on a disk 26. The disk 26 is supported by a pin 36 inserted through resilient rings 30, 35 into a boss 32 provided with a preferably hemi-spherical surface 31. This surface co-operates with an antifriction bearing 33 and a similar surface 29 on a plate 27 fixed by screws 28 to the cover 16, so that the cover can oscillate relative to the disk 26 with a motion dampened by the rings 30, 35, and so as to allow the operator to apply a truly axial thrust. The boss 32 is screwed into a bush 37 of a cup shaped member 38 which is fixed by spacers 44 to a lower plate 43, both cup and plate being slidable on support columns4, 5, see also Fig. 3, against the action of springs 11, 47, to force a rod 52 and the penetrator 63 into the test surface. The plate is connected by links 53, 54 and a hook 54' to an L-shaped block 59, Fig. 3, in turn fixed to a sleeve stem 60 which slides axially through a flange 2. The sleeve 60 has a nut 61 screwed to it which provides a reference plane 62, whilst the penetrator 63 is fixed to a tube 64 which passes through an upper plate 70 and is provided with rings 65, 66 and an abutment screw 68 causing a spring 67 to push the tube downwardly against the nut 61. The ring 65, Fig. 3, is clamped by a spring 77 between two arms 74, 75 connected to the block 55 and exerts frictional resistance which when overcome by movement of the tube 64 will provide a preload on the instrument. In operation the tester is abutted on the surface to be tested by means of the base 1 and a downward thrust transmitted either directly to the cover or via the extensions 13, 14, and aligned by using the index 25 causes the cup 38, rods 44 and plate 43 to move downwardly and compress the spring 11 against a fixed plate 10. This movement pushes down the rod 59 and the plate 70 attached thereto and also the sleeve 60 because of the action of spring 80, Fig. 2 and a pressing pin 81 positioned between 60 and 43. During this latter movement the nut 66 moves away from the screw 68 and the penetrator 63 contacts the test surface and stops. Further movement causes the reference surface of the nut 61 to contact the test surface and the penetrator will be given a relatively upward movement to cause the tube 64 and the ring 65 to slide upwardly between the plates 74, 75 thus giving the instrument a preload. With the surface 62 abutting the test surface the stem 60 and the plate 70 stop so that further downward movement of the cup 38 and plate 43 causes the penetrator 63 to indent and the hook 54 to release the block 55 which freely follows the movement of the penetrator by reason of the drag exerted by the friction ring 65 on the plates 74, 75. The follower 72 follows the movement of the block 55 and transmits the displacement to a gauge C, Fig. 6. The follower 72 is height adjustable relative to the vertical arm of the block 55 and hence the amplification of the penetrator movement can be varied. In Fig. 7 the inner workings of the tester are as already described but the gauge is hydraulic and on the top instead of at the side. The tester has an outer shell 87 provided with handles 90, 91 and is oscillatable relatively to an inner portion 88, 89 by the provision of spherical surfaces 96, 98. The operator can judge the alignment of his thrust by observing a rim gap 94. Sponge rubber rings 102, 103 return the shell 87 after the tester has been operated.