Effect of Rolling and Annealing on Hardness of Brass

This lesson plan provides an introduction to the hardness of materials. Specifically, the exercise allows students the opportunity to "observe the changes in hardness of brass resulting from different percentages of rolling, along with the accompanying changes in microstructure." Students will also learn the differences between the hardness and strength of a material. The module would be best for upper level high school and college students, and should take one class period to complete.