Finite element simulation of hardness testing with different material models

Finite element modelling is a modern and efficient way to perform stress-strain analyses on both simple components and complex structures. If the material properties are properly set, the software can also model the deformation of parts. A very important criterion of accurate finite element calculations is an appropriate material model. The stress–strain function recorded during the tensile testing of standard specimens shows that stress is not constant during deformation and so it can be specified with a function in finite element software. Often, in finite element modelling, a bilinear model is used to simplify this function. The aim of this paper is to show the difference between the bilinear model, the multilinear model (the model split into several sections the stress-strain curve) and the real function in the analysis of deformation in hardness testing. We also analyse the minimum density of meshing which still provides acceptable accuracy in hardness testing calculations.