Leeb hardness test

This technique involves in situ hardness investigation of structural steel elements (plates, pipes, profiles…), including suitably polished reinforced concrete reinforcing bars. The objective is to determine the surface hardness of the element under test in order to estimate the strength of the metal. The metal elements under test shall have a thickness greater than 3 mm, a minimum radius of curvature of 30 mm, and a distance from the edge of the point of impact greater than 5 mm; in addition, the specimen under test shall be rigidly bonded to the structure of which it is a part. The test includes preparing the surface and taking at least 3 measurements (or a number of 10 if data dispersion is found).

Reference standards: UNI EN ISO 16859: 2015; UNI EN ISO 18265: 2014.