TEST COUPON AND TEST METHOD

Abstract

A test coupon (1) for an ISO-standard-conforming test method for testing a material hardness of gearwheels. The test coupon (1) is designed as a two-piece test coupon (1) including a casing body (2) and a test body (3). The test coupon (1) being tested by an ISO-standard-conforming test method for determining a material hardness of the gearwheels.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A test coupon (1) for an ISO-standard-conforming test method for testing a material hardness of a gearwheel, the 1SO-standard-conforming test method being a test method which under same conditions as a corresponding current ISO Standard method, gives the same results as the corresponding current ISO Standard method, but uses a two-piece test coupon (1) and does not make use of a test coupon as defined in the corresponding current ISO Standard, the test coupon (1) being in a form of a two-piece test coupon (1) comprising a casing body (2) and a test body (3), the casing body (2) comprising steel, such that the material and production of the test body (3) corresponds to the gearwheels to be tested, the test body (3) together with the gearwheels to be tested being heat treated, and the test coupon (1) being designed such that an investigation of material properties and a consequent destruction being carried out exclusively on the test body (3) while, in contrast, the casing body (2) being preserved and being reusable.

12. The test coupon (1) according to claim 11, wherein the casing body (2) is cylindrical and has a concentric and disk-shaped recess (2), at one end of the cylinder, for holding the test body (3).

13. The test coupon (1) according to claim 12, wherein the casing body (2) has a lateral bore (2), which connects an outside of a cylinder outer surface of the casing body (2) to the recess (2).

14. The test coupon (1) according to claim 11, wherein the test coupon (1) is designed for a test method conforming with ISO Standard 6336-5 for testing the material hardness of a gearwheel.

15. The test coupon (1) according to claim 11, wherein the casing body comprises steel according to AISI 310.

16. An ISO-standard-conforming test method for testing a material hardness of a gearwheel by a test coupon (1), wherein an ISO-standard-conforming test method is a test method which, under same conditions as the corresponding current ISO Standard method, produces the same results as the corresponding current ISO Standard method, but uses a two-piece test coupon (1) and does not use a test coupon as defined in the corresponding current ISO Standard, the two-piece test coupon comprising a casing body (2) and a test body (3), the casing body (2) comprising steel, such that the material and production of the two-piece test body (3) corresponds to the gearwheel to be tested, the two-piece test body (3) together with the gearwheel to be tested are heat treated, and the two-piece test coupon (1) is designed such that an investigation of material properties and a consequent destruction are carried out exclusively on the test body (3) while in contrast the casing body (2) being preserved and being reusable, the method comprising: producing the test body (3) with an identical production process and from an identical material as the gearwheels to be tested, inserting the test body (3) into a concentric and disk-shaped recess (2) on a cylinder end of the casing body (2), heat treating the test coupon (1) together with the gearwheel to be tested, removing the test body (3) from the casing body (2), determining a material hardness of the test body (3), and determining, with reference to the material hardness of the test body (3), the material hardness of the gearwheel.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising determining the material hardness of the test body spatially in a middle of the test body (3).

18. A nonstandard test coupon (1) for testing a material hardness of gearwheels with an ISO-standard-conforming test method, the ISO-standard-conforming test method being a test method which, under identical conditions as a corresponding current ISO Standard method, produces results for the nonstandard test coupon that are at least substantially identical to results produced for a standard test coupon by the corresponding current ISO Standard method, the nonstandard test coupon comprising: a two-piece test coupon (1) comprising a casing body (2) and a test body (3), and the casing body being fabricated from steel; the test body and the gearwheel being tested are formed from a same material and produced in a corresponding manner in which the test body and the gearwheel being tested are heat treated; and the nonstandard test coupon being designed such that an investigation of material properties and a consequent destruction are carried out exclusively on the test body while in contrast the casing body being preserved and being reusable.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Below, the invention is explained with reference to example embodiments illustrated in the figures, which show:

[0041] FIG. 1: As an example, a schematic cross-section through a two-piece test coupon according to the invention,

[0042] FIG. 2: As examples, three different embodiments of test coupons according to the invention,

[0043] FIG. 3: As examples, a test body for a test coupon according to the invention and three one-piece test coupons,

[0044] FIG. 4: As an example, comparison measurements made using a test coupon designed according to the invention and a test coupon designed in accordance with ISO Standard 6336-5, and

[0045] FIG. 5: An example of an embodiment of a test method according to the invention in the form of a flow diagram.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0046] In all the figures the same objects, functional units and comparable components are denoted by the same indexes. As regards their technical features these objects, functional units and comparable components are designed identically unless explicitly or implicitly indicated by the description.

[0047] FIG. 1 shows as an example and in schematic form a cross-section through a two-piece test coupon 1 according to the invention for an ISO-standard-conforming test method for testing a material hardness of gearwheels, which test coupon consists of a casing body 2 and a test body 3. In this case the casing body 2 is cylindrical with a concentric and disk-shaped recess 2 at an upper end of the cylinder. The recess 2 serves to hold the also disk-shaped test body 3. The dimensions of the recess 2 correspond to the dimensions of the test body 3 plus a tolerance in order to ensure problem-free fitting of the test body 3 into the recess 2 and problem-free removal of the test body 3 from the recess 2.

[0048] As can also be seen, the casing body 2 has a lateral bore 2 that connects an outside cylindrical surface of the casing body 2 to the recess 2. The test coupon 1 with the dimensions shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to one designed in accordance with the ISO standard and defined as a Module 5 test coupon, and the casing body 2 is made from steel according to AISI 310. On the other hand, the test body 3 consists of the same material as the gearwheels to be tested and has undergone the same production process.

[0049] FIG. 2 shows as examples three different embodiments of test coupons 1 according to the invention. Each of the test coupons 1 shown consists of a casing body 2 and a test body 3. As examples, the test coupons 1 shown in FIG. 2 are designed as a Module 5 one (on the left in FIG. 2), a Module 8 one (central in FIG. 2) and a Module 10 one (on the right in FIG. 2) in accordance with ISO Standard 6336-5.

[0050] FIG. 3 shows as examples a test body 3 for a test coupon 1 according to the invention and three one-piece test coupons 4, 5 and 6, which are designed in accordance with ISO Standard 6336-5. By virtue of their standardization the test coupons 4, 5 and 6 are generally known and are widely used in the prior art. In this case the test coupon 4 is designed as a so-termed Module 5 according to ISO Standard 6336-5, the test coupon 5 is a Module 8 and the test coupon 6 is a Module 10 test coupon. As can be seen, the test body 3 is by comparison much smaller than the test coupons 4, 5 and 6. Since both the test body 3 and the known test coupons 4, 5 and 6 can only he used for a single test process and will then be scrapped, by using the smaller and more favorable test body 3 in a test coupon according to the invention a lot of material and thus cost can be saved.

[0051] FIG. 4 shows as an example a comparative measurement made with a test coupon 1 according to the invention and a test coupon 5 of the Module 8 design according to ISO Standard 6336-5. The test coupon 1 according to the invention on which the comparison measurement is based corresponds in this case to the test coupon 5 designed as a Module 8 test coupon. The comparison measurement shown comprises various measurement points of the material hardness made both using the test coupon 1 according to the invention and using the test coupon 5 designed in accordance with ISO Standard 6336-5, which points have been plotted on the same diagram and joined to produce measurement curves 7 and 8. The x-axis shows a depth of the measurement point concerned in the material, i.e. its distance away from the surface of the test coupon 1 or the test coupon 5, given in millimeters. The y-axis shows the material hardness measured, in HV units. The dashed measurement curve 7 shows the measurement data obtained using the test coupon 1 according to the invention, while the solid measurement curve 8 shows the measurement data obtained using the test coupon 5 made in accordance with ISO Standard 6336-5. As can be seen, the two measurement curves 7 and 8 are very close to one another, so that one can speak of an equivalence of the test method according to the invention and the test method according to the current ISO standard, or of an interchangeability of the test coupon 1 and the test coupon 5 designed in accordance with ISO Standard 6336-5.

[0052] FIG. 5 shows as an example an embodiment of an ISO-standard-conforming test method according to the invention for testing a material hardness of gearwheels by means of a test coupon 1, in the form of a flow diagram. In a first process step 11 a test body 3 undergoes an identical production process, and is made from an identical material as the gearwheels to be tested. In step 12 the test body 3 is inserted into a concentric and disk-shaped recess 2 in a cylinder end of a casing body 2 of the test coupon 1. In the next step 13 the test coupon 1 is heat treated together with the gearwheels to be tested. After the heat treatment, in step 14 the test body is removed again from the casing body 2. In step 15 the test body 3 is now cut along its centerline so that a spatial middle of the test body 3 is made accessible for measurements of the material hardness. In the next process step 16 the material hardness of the test body 3 is determined. Finally, in step 17 the material hardness of the gearwheels is determined with reference to the material hardness of the test body 3.

INDEXES

[0053] 1 Test coupon [0054] 2 Casing body [0055] 2 Recess [0056] 2 Lateral bore [0057] 3 Test body [0058] 4 Test coupon, Module 5 [0059] 5 Test coupon, Module 8 [0060] 6 Test coupon, Module 10 [0061] 7 Measurement curve [0062] 8 Measurement curve [0063] 11 Production of the test body [0064] 12 Insertion of the test body [0065] 13 Heat treatment [0066] 14 Removal of the test body [0067] 15 Cutting of the test body [0068] 16 Determination of the material hardness of the test body [0069] 17 Determination of the material hardness of the gearwheels