The Equotip 550 is a versatile hardness tester for on-site testing of heavy, large or installed parts.
It is compatible with upcoming developments, such as other measuring principles and new types of probes etc. The new-generation display unit with touchscreen leverages the high measuring accuracy with an unmatched user experience leading to increased measurement efficiency. It also comes loaded with interactive wizards, handpicked for specific industry applications in order to increase reliability and to assure precise measurements, including oil & gas, automotive, aerospace and steel-working applications. The Equotip 550 UCI features an adjustable test load which means wide range of applications can be covered, offering test loads ranging from HV1 to HV5, eliminating the need to purchase more than one UCI probe.
The UCI method is specially used to measure the hardness in heat affected zones (HAZ) of welds in thinner materials. It is also an excellent tool to measure the hardness of gear teeth and other components with limited accessibility. The UCI (Ultrasonic Contact Impedance) method uses the same pyramid-shaped diamond as a conventional Vickers hardness tester. Unlike Vickers testing, no optical evaluation of the indentation is required, enabling fast and portable measurements. The UCI method excites a rod into an ultrasonic oscillation. The test load is applied by a spring and typically Equotip UCI 1 ranges from 1 to 5 kg of force (HV1 – HV5). As the diamond is forced into the material, the frequency of the rod oscillation changes in response to the contact area between the diamond and the material under test. The instrument detects the shift in frequency, converts it to a hardness value which is immediately displayed on the screen.
Firmware:
Software:
Display & Memory:
Connections:
The required test load can be selected by the user in the settings menu. For each measurement series, the force can be chosen from five levels between HV1 and HV5 (~10 N and ~50 N), to fit a wide range of applications. The minimum required mass for reliable UCI measurements is 0.3 kg (0.66 lbs), and a thickness of at least 5 mm (0.2 inch).
The optionally available special foot increases the measurement repeatability. It can be used for flat or curved surfaces. For curved surfaces there are two different apertures, one for diameters from 5 to 25 mm and one for larger diameters from 20 to 70 mm.