Leeb hardness tests for mechanical characterisation of carpentry steels

Seismic vulnerability assessment requires a sufficient knowledge of existing buildings. In order to preserve existing metal structures, studies on non-destructive tests assume fundamental importance. The Leeb test performed with a portable tester is herein investigated as a method to indirectly estimate tensile strength of carpentry steels by measuring the surface hardness. The current work aims to identify a theoretical correlation between Leeb hardness values and the tensile strengths of steel deriving from direct tensile tests. Two sets of samples were analysed: existing steel profiles and new ones. The experimental results achieved were compared with the standard curves in the guidelines to evaluate the effectiveness of the latter theoretical provisions to foresee the mechanical behaviour of carpentry steels.