This document specifies the instrumented indentation method for testing at elevated temperature for determination of hardness and other materials parameters at temperatures above ambient. Elevated temperature testing is defined in this document to be when the test piece and indenter tip are heated above the ambient conditions of the instrument to a controlled and measured temperature; insulating shielding is used to enclose the hot zone to reduce heating effects so that the majority of the instrumented indentation testing machine is at ambient conditions.

This document is restricted to test machines that have been traceably calibrated and pass an indirect verification according to ISO 14577-2 when operating at elevated temperature to ensure that any effects on ambient sensors caused by the presence of a hot zone are accounted for. This document covers instrumented indentation testing at elevated temperatures in air, in inert or reducing gaseous environments, or in vacuum.

This document provides a method for instrumented indentation testing at elevated temperature with both the indenter tip and test piece actively heated, and with independent feedback control and temperature measurement of both the indenter tip and test piece.

This document provides a method for estimation of the uncertainty of the contact temperature. The uncertainty increases as the thermal conductivity of the test piece decreases. It is left to the user to decide if that uncertainty is fit for their purpose.

The test method in this document is not applicable to:

—     instrumented indentation testing where there is no direct measurement of the temperature of the indenter tip body itself;

—     instrumented indentation testing where above ambient temperatures are obtained by placing the entire instrument in a hot box to achieve iso-thermal heating of the whole system. These systems typically only achieve limited elevated temperature;

—     instrumented indentation testing with active heating of the test piece but only passive heating of the indenter, e.g. by proximity to the hot test piece and thermal conduction through the indentation contact, hot gas, or any combination.