Brinell, Johan August (1849-1925)

Swedish engineer who devised the Brinell hardness test, for measuring the hardness of substances, in 1900.

Brinell was born in Småland and received a technical education in Borås. As chief engineer at an ironworks, he became interested in metallurgy. While studying the internal composition of steel during heating and cooling, he devised the hardness test, which was put on trial at the Paris Exhibition 1900. It is based on the idea that a material's response to a load placed on one small point is related to its ability to deform permanently. Brinell also carried out investigations into the abrasion resistance of selected materials.