Sclerometer

A sclerometer / Hardness tester (from Greek σκλερος - solid and Greek μττρον - measurement) is a device for determining the hardness of materials. Until the beginning of the last century, sclerometry was the only recognized way to assess the hardness of materials, but in the early 40s, the scratching method was almost completely replaced by the currently widely known methods of Rockwell, Vickers, Brinell, etc., in which the hardness of materials was assessed by pressing indentors of various shapes into them. In the modern sense, despite the fact that etymologically the word "sclerometer" means "hardness tester", sclerometers are usually called any devices that implement the scratching method, regardless of what characteristics of the material are to be evaluated: hardness, ductility, wear resistance or other mechanical parameters.