Subject Discussion
BEN Jincui, YANG Junhong, ZHANG Bing, ZHANG Yixin, YU Zeli, CAO Xiaogang
In order to assess the laboratory's detection ability in Rockwell hardness of metal materials, a proficiency testing was conducted. Firstly, the samples were sent to the China Institute of Metrology for verification. Then, the metallographic microscopic analysis and hardness testing were conducted at different positions. It was proved that the quartering cutting did not affect the hardness value of the sample. Moreover, the uniformity and stability were good. The difference method was used for proficiency testing evaluation of the laboratory using the maximum allowable value of hardness block uniformity as the reference value. The satisfaction rates for 9 A-scale, 10 B-scale, and 15 C-scale participating laboratories using this method were 33.3%, 50%, and 53.3%, respectively, which were significantly lower compared to other evaluation principles. It demonstrated that employing this evaluation principle could identify the potential issues in the laboratory and assist in enhancing its testing capabilities. Finally, a detailed technical analysis was conducted on the results of this proficiency testing. It was concluded that the hardness tester and personnel operation were the primary factors that affected the experimental results. This analysis provided effective improvement measures and basis for laboratories with issues in proficiency testing.