METROLOGY &

INSTRUMENTATION
1. Introduction to metrology
2. Tolerance, Limits and Fit
3. Linear Measurement Using Tools

4. Angular Measurement Using Profile Projector

5. Straightness, Flatness, and Roundness Measurement
6. Surface Roughness Measurement

7. Measurement Using GO and NO GO Concept

Dr Juri

Introduction
To Metrology
Definition
Why is METROLOGY important?
STANDARDS
MEASUREMENT STANDARD
PRINCIPLE OF MEASUREMENT

Dr Juri

DEFINITION
A science of measurement.
System of measurement.
Includes all theoretical and practical aspects of

measurement.
i.e.: Length Mass Time Temperature _ Electric
current Light radiation
*Sciences of weights and measures, determination

of conformance to specification or technical

requirement, and development of standards. Not to
be confused with Meteorology, the science
of weather phenomenon.
Dr Juri

Why is METROLOGY important?

Metrology establishes the international standards for

measurement used by all countries in the world in both

science and industry.
Technological standards make all technology work better and

can save lives.

Measurement of constants can give fundamental insights into

the universe.

Dr Juri

STANDARDS
Respective parties responsible to maintain standards
Local : SIRIM
International : ISO
Doing a measurement
attributes Yes/No
variables dimensional wise
Differentiate
Metric (SI)
Imperial System
Dr Juri

Cont`d
Metric (SI)

Imperial System

Length
meter(m)

Length

Area
square meter (m^2)

Area

inches, foot, yard,

chain, mile

square inches, etc

MEASUREMENT STANDARD
Length - including all linear dimensions of parts.
Diameter - outside and inside, including parts with different

outside and inside diameters (steps) along their length.

Roundness - including out-of-roundness, concentricity, and

eccentricity.
Depth - such as drilled or bored holes and cavities in dies

and molds.
Straightness - such as shafts, bars, and tubing.
Flatness - such as machined and ground surfaces.

Cont`d
Parallelism such as two shafts or slide-ways in

machines.
Perpendicularity such as a threaded bar inserted

into a flat plate.

Angles including internal & external angles
Profile - such as curvatures in castings, forgings,

and on car bodies.

PRINCIPLE OF MEASUREMENT
Resolution
smallest difference can detect or distinguish

Precision
degree of repeatability

Accuracy
value agrees with the true value

Rule of 10
must be 10 times more precise than the specifies tolerance
e.g. tolerance is 0.25mm, for that must have a precision of

0.025mm

Cont`d
Repeatability (Equipment Variation)
variation in measurements obtained with one

measurement instrument when used several times

Reproducibility (Appraiser Variation)
variation in the average of measurements made by

different appraisers

Tolerance, Limits
and Fit
Tolerance
LIMITS
FIT
Clearance Fit
Transition Fit
Interference Fit
Dr Juri

TOLERANCE
Engineering tolerance is the

permissible limit or limits of

variation in:
a)

b)

c)

d)
e)

A physical dimension.
A measured physical
property, manufactured
object
Temperature measured.
In engineering and safety.
Mechanical engineering in
space between bolt and nut

Engineering tolerance,
permissible limit(s) of
variation in an object:
a)

b)

Tolerance analysis, the study

of accumulated variation in
mechanical parts and
assemblies
Tolerance coning, a budget of
all tolerances that affect a
particular parameter

Cont`d
Difference between two limit of size.
Permitted variability ;
e.g. flatness, straightness, roundness & cylindrically

Difference between the maximum and minimum limits of

size for a hole or shaft.

It is also the difference between the upper and lower

deviations.
Amount of variation in size which is tolerated.

Shaft - A member which fits into another member

Hole A member which house or fits the shaft
Nominal size - Size by which an item is designated
Basic size - Size from which the limits of size are derived

LIMITS
These are the extremes of size which are allowed for a

tolerance dimension. Two limits are possible:

upper limit of size
lower limit of size

Maximum Material Limit (MML)

max. (upper) limit of size for an external feature (shaft)
min. (lower) limit of size for an internal feature (hole)

Least Material Limit (LML)

min. (lower) limit of size for an external feature (shaft)
max. (upper) limit of size for an internal feature (hole)

Cont`d

FIT
Motion that can exist between a shaft

and hole resulting. Three types of fit:

Clearance fit

Transition fit
Interference fit

Dr Juri

Limit Dimension

Cont`d

CLEARANCE FIT
Shaft size is always less than the hole size

Relative between shaft and hole is always possible.

The range is from coarse or very loose to close

precision and locational

Min clearance occurs :
maximum shaft size and the minimum hole size
Max clearance occurs :
minimum shaft size and the maximum hole size

TRANSITION FIT
Limits of sizes specified for a matching hole and shaft

allow either a clearance fit or interference fit.

The tolerance zone for the hole and shaft overlap.
Common standard: light push fit and heavy push fit.

Max clearance occurs:

maximum hole size and the minimum shaft size .
Max interference occurs:
Minimum hole size and the maximum shaft size .

INTERFERENCE FIT
Minimum shaft size being larger than the

maximum hole size for all possible

combinations.
Relative motion between the shaft and hole is

impossible.
Min interference occurs:
Minimum shaft size and the maximum hole size.
Max interference occurs:
Maximum shaft size and minimum hole size

Allowances

Clearance fit & loose fit / free fit

Dr Juri

Interference fit

Linear Measurement Using Tools

 Measuring lengths or angles. Graduated

means "marked to indicate a certain quantity.
Linear Measurement (direct reading)
Rulers

Calipers
Micrometers

Linear Measurement (indirect reading)

Calipers
Used to transfer the measured size to a direct-reading

instrument, such as a rule.

Dr Juri

Angular Measurement Using Profile

Projector

Vernier Calliper

Micrometer Screw Gauge

Angular Measurement
Profile Projector/optical comparison
Diascopic (behind) / episcopic
(above) illumination
Measuring stroke
Contour illumination system
Standard equipped turret
X and Y wheel
Digital displays
Focusing (motor-driven or manual)
Bulbs
Overlay Charts
Resolutions
Data processing unit

 Measuring angle with displacement method in

reading of degrees.
Bevel protractor - similar to a common protractor,

but has a movable element.

Bevel protractor application

Cont`d
Sine bar - an inclined bar or plate while

adjusting the angle by placing gage blocks

on a surface plate.
Surface plates - to place parts to be

measured and the measuring instruments.

Made of cast iron or natural stones such as
granite.

Straightness, Flatness, and

Roundness Measurement
STRAIGHTNESS MEASUREMENT
FLATNESS MEASUREMENT
ROUNDNESS MEASUREMENT

Dr Juri

STRAIGHTNESS MEASUREMENT
Can be checked using a straightedge or a dial indicator.
An auto collimator (which resembles a telescope with a light

beam that bounces back from the object) is used to

accurately measure small angular deviations on a flat
surface.
Laser beams are used commonly to align individual machine

elements.
Measuring straightness manually :
knife-edge rule
dial indicator.

FLATNESS MEASUREMENT
Can be measured by mechanical
using a surface plate and a dial indicator to perpendicularity,
also can use precision-steel squares.
Other method
Interferometer - using an optical flat. Glass disk or fused-quartz
disk with parallel flat surfaces, which is placed on the surface
of the work piece

ROUNDNESS MEASUREMENT
Described as a deviation from true roundness (circle).
Diameter is not the same as roundness.

Apparatus
Vee-block (3 point) methodo roundness is not very critical(simple).
o irregularities as well as the angle of the vee.
o results obtained may not accurately reflect.

Cont`d
Rotational datum method
o Component rotated on a highly accurate spindle.
o Provides a circular datum.
o workpiece axis is aligned with the axis of the spindle by
means of a centering and leveling table.
o During rotation, a transducer measures radial variations
of the component with respect to the spindle axis.
o Can be used for the most extreme roundness
specifications and is suitable for both internal and
external roundness measurements

Surface Roughness Measurement

ROUGHNESS
ROUGHNESS GRADE NUMBERS

Ra = Roughness
D = Wavelength

ROUGHNESS
Indicating the type of surface finish.

Production methods and/or required roughness of a

surface are used on a drawing when this feature is

necessary to ensure functionality, and then only on those
surfaces which require it.
Structured

microscopic level
effect of processes that the raw material had gone through.

Cont`d
Texture

repetitive and/or random deviations (roughness,

waviness, form, lays and flaws)

Surface profile
= error of form + waviness + roughness

Roughness
surface profile
(peaks and valley)
closely space
irregular deviations on small scale in heights, widths and
distance along the surface.

ROUGHNESS GRADE NUMBERS

Where there is a possibility of

misinterpretation due to using both metric

and imperial units.
Surface roughness may be indicated by an

equivalent surface roughness number.

ALICONA Infinite Focus 3D

Surface roughness test

Figure: specimen being test

Figure: 3D surface roughness

Surface
profile

Ra value

Mitutoyo profile projector

MITUTOYO Profile Projector

Measurement Using GO and NO GO

Concept
GAGE BLOCKS
FIXED GAGES
PLUG GAGES
SNAP GAGES
AIR GAGES

GAGE BLOCKS
Individual square, rectangular, or round blocks of various sizes.

General use, they are made from heat-treated and stress-relieved

alloy steels.
Better is made of ceramics (often zirconia) and chromium

carbide.
Not rust, but they are brittle and must be handled carefully.
Gage blocks have a flatness within 1.25 m.
Environmental temperature control is important when gages are

used for high-precision measurements .

FIXED GAGES
Are replicas of the shapes of the parts to be

measured.
Easy to use and inexpensive.
Only indicate whether a part is too small or

too large when compared to an established

standard.

PLUG GAGES
Commonly are used for holes.
GO gage is smaller.
NOT GO (or NO GO) gage and slides into any

hole which has a dimension smaller than the

diameter of the gage.
NOT GO gage must not go into the hole.

measuring internal tapers, splines, and threads

SNAP GAGES
To measure external dimensions.
With adjustable gagging surfaces for use

with parts which have different dimensions.

One of the gagging surfaces can be set at a

different gap from the other, thus making it a

one-unit GO and NOT GO gage.

AIR GAGES
Also called pneumatic gage.
Gage head (air plug) has two or more holes through

which pressurized air escapes.

The smaller the gap between the gage and the hole, the

more difficult for the air to escape.

The higher the back pressure.
The back pressure (which is sensed and indicated by a

pressure gage) is calibrated to measure the dimensional

variations of holes.

Measurement Errors
SYSTEMATIC ERROR
ACCIDENTAL ERROR

SYSTEMATIC ERROR
Due to quality of equipment
Causes consistent signs (+ve or ve)
Due to ambient conditions
temperature, humidity, CO2 or pressure of work piece or
instrument

ACCIDENTAL ERROR
Due to the smallest gradient in

equipment.
Unexperience of equipment user.

Cont`d
Observational
Misreading the gage
Parallax error
Manipulative
Holding the gage incorrectly
Not locating datums properly
Mounting the part on the wrong datum
Not aligning the gage properly
Bias
Rounding off (on purpose)
Gage inaccuracy

Cont`d
Gage error
Precision loss (e.g a sluggish or sticking indicator)
Accuracy loss (e.g incorrect gage block stack)
Part error
Within the piece variation
Dirty parts
Poor surface finish
Flaws

Reference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrology
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/metrology.h

tml#ixzz2WgT6uscf
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/metrology
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/metrolog
y
http://www.french-metrology.com/en/history/interestmetrology.asp