Indentation hardness test, performed with either 3 gf or 9 gf loads, preceded the development of microhardness testers using traditional indenters. In 1925, Smith and Sandland of the UK developed an indentation test that employed a square-based pyramidal indenter made from diamond. They chose the pyramidal shape with an angle of 136° between opposite faces in order to obtain hardness numbers that would be as close as possible to Brinell hardness numbers for the specimen. The Vickers test has a great advantage of using one hardness scale to test all materials.The first reference to the Vickers indenter with low loads was made
Carbonate hardness [milli[equivalent]s] per litre (meq/L) or ppm. Carbonate hardness expressed in ppm does not necessarily equal carbonate alkalinity expressed in ppm. formula_1 whereas formula_2 However, for water with a pH below 8.5, the CO will be less than 1% of the HCO so carbonate alkalinity will equal carbonate hardness to within an error of less than 1%. In a solution where only CO affects the pH, carbonate hardness can be used to calculate the concentration of dissolved CO in the solution with the formula CO = 3 × KH × 10, where KH is degrees of carbonate hardness and CO is