Hardness Testing versus Indentation Plastometry (PIP) Testing

Hardness numbers are widely used in industry, despite their limited engineering utility. They can be used in a semi quantitative way to rank materials, but they cannot be used, for example, in engineering design calculations or for component life extension purposes. Stress-strain curves are much more informative and substantially more useful than hardness numbers. PIP testing, the revolutionary new approach to the mechanical testing of metals, looks similar in execution to hardness testing, but actually measures full stress-strain curves. In this webinar, we cover the key differences between hardness testing and PIP testing, and we explain why hardness numbers can often be misleading.