Portable Hardness Testing

In-Situ Hardness Verification for Infrastructure & Fabrication Quality Control

Portable Hardness Testing plays a critical role in post-fabrication verification, heat-treatment validation, and in-service inspection of structural components—especially when samples cannot be removed or transported. AEIS utilizes portable hardness equipment across infrastructure projects where cutting, bending, and welding of steel elements demand on-site mechanical property verification.

From verifying heat-affected zones (HAZ) in bridge girder weldments to confirming material hardness in power piping systems, our certified inspectors apply standardized portable hardness techniques to evaluate field and shop-fabricated components in compliance with ASTM, ISO, and client specifications.

Why Hardness Testing Matters in the Field

Cutting and welding operations can alter the mechanical properties of structural steel and alloy components. Hardness is often used as a proxy for tensile strength or heat treatment validation—especially in alloy steels such as CSEF (e.g., P91).

AEIS personnel are trained to account for factors like surface decarburization, microstructure sensitivity, and code-specified hardness ranges during field assessments. Our team uses appropriate techniques based on material and accessibility.

Portable Hardness Testing Methods

We deploy the following industry-accepted methods, depending on project needs:

• Rockwell Test – Fast and effective for components with moderate thickness and uniform microstructure
• Vickers Test – Ideal for small or thin components with high hardness ranges (microhardness)
• Brinell Test – Commonly used for castings, forgings, and large cross-sections
• Rebound Method (Leeb) – Used for rapid field measurements on large components with minimal surface prep

Our portable equipment fleet includes dynamic rebound testers, ultrasonic contact impedance (UCI) devices, and static indentation kits to accommodate a wide range of field conditions.