a rating obtained from a test (Brinell test) to determine the hardness of a metal by pressing a steel ball of a standard size into the metal using a standard force. Abbreviation: Bhn
a measure of the hardness of a material obtained by pressing a hard steel ball into its surface; it is expressed as the ratio of the load on the ball in kilograms to the area of the depression made by the ball in square millimetres
[C19: named after Johann A. Brinell (1849--1925), Swedish engineer]
