ME 312 METROLOGY & INSTRUMENTATION

MODULE 3
FORM MEASUREMENT

Vishal Nair
Assistant Professor- Mechanical
MESCE
Kuttipuram

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Screw thread- definition
• A screw thread is the helical ridge produced by forming a
continuous helical groove of uniform section on the external or
internal surface of a cylinder or a cone.

• A screw thread formed on a cylinder is known as straight or parallel

screw thread, while the one formed on a cone is known as tapered
threads.

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Types of thread
• External thread: a thread formed on outside of a work piece is
known as external thread. Example: on bolts or studs etc.

• Internal thread: a thread formed on inside of a work piece is known

as internal thread. Example: on a nut or female screw gauge.

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Screw Threads Terminology

• Screw thread is a continuous helical groove of specified cross-section

produced on the external or internal surface.
• A screw thread formed on a cylinder is known as straight or parallel
screw thread, while screw thread formed on a cone or frustum is
known as the tapered screw thread.

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 Screw Threads Terminology
 Pitch: The distance from a point on a screw
thread to a corresponding point on the next
thread measured parallel to the axis.
 Lead The distance a screw thread advances
in one turn. For a
single start threads, lead=pitch,
For double start, lead=2xpitch, & so on.
 Thread Form: The cross section of thread cut
by a plane containing the axis.
 Major Diameter: This is the diameter of an
imaginary cylinder, co- axial with the screw,
which just touches the crests of an external
thread or roots of an internal threads. It is also
called as ‘Nominal diameter’
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 Minor diameter: This is the diameter of an
imaginary cylinder, co-axial with the screw
which just touches the roots of an external
thread or the crest of an internal thread. This is
also referred to as ‘root’ or ‘core diameter’.
 Effective diameter or Pitch diameter: It is the
diameter of an imaginary cylinder coaxial with
the axis of the thread and intersects the flanks of
the thread such that width of the threads &
width of spaces between threads are equal.
 Flank: It is the Thread surface that connects
crest with root.
 Depth of thread: It is the distance between crest
and root measured perpendicular to axis of
screw.
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• Angle of thread: Included angle between
sides of thread measured in axial plane.
• Helix angle: Angle that the thread makes
with plane perpendicular to thread axis.
• Flank angle: It is half the included angle of
the thread.
• Addendum: It is the distance between the
crest and the pitch line measured
perpendicular to axis of the screw.
• Dedendum: It is the distance between the
pitch line & the root measured
perpendicular to axis of the screw.
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MEASUREMENT OF VARIOUS ELEMENTS
OF THREAD

• To find out the accuracy of a screw thread it will be necessary to measure

the following:

1) Major diameter.
2) Minor diameter.
3) Effective or Pitch diameter.
4) Pitch
5) Thread angle and form

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Measurement of major diameter
The instruments which are used to find the major diameter are by
 Bench micrometer

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Ordinary micrometer:
The ordinary micrometre is quite suitable for measuring the external
major diameter.
It is first adjusted for appropriate cylindrical size (S) having the same
diameter (approximately).This process is known as ‘ gauge setting’ .
After taking this reading ‘ R the micrometre is set on the major
diameter of the thread, and the new reading is ‘R2

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Measurement by Bench micrometer

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For getting the greater accuracy the bench micrometer is used for
measuring the major diameter.
In this process the variation in measuring Pressure, pitch errors are being
neglected.
The fiducial indicator is used to ensure all the measurements are made at same
pressure.
The instrument has a micrometer head with a vernier scale to read the accuracy of
0.002mm.
Calibrated setting cylinder having the same diameter as the major diameter of the
thread to be measured is used as setting standard.
After setting the standard, the setting cylinder is held between the anvils and the
reading is taken
Then the cylinder is replaced by the threaded work piece and the new reading is
taken

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Measurement by Bench micrometer

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Measurement of Minor diameter
The minor diameter is measured by a comparative method by using floating
carriage diameter measuring machine and small ‘ V pieces which make
contact with the root of the thread.

These V pieces are made in several sizes, having suitable radii at the
edges.

 V pieces are made of hardened steel.

The floating carriage diameter-measuring machine is a bench micrometer

mounted on a carriage.

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Measurement of Minor diameter

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Measurement of Minor diameter
The threaded work piece is mounted between the centres of the
instrument and the V pieces are placed on each side of the work piece
and then the reading is noted.

After taking this reading the work piece is then replaced by a

standard reference cylindrical setting gauge.

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Measurement of Minor diameter of Internal
threads:
The Minor diameter of Internal threads are measured by
1. Using taper parallels
2. Using Rollers.

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1. Using taper parallels:
For diameters less than 200mm the use of Taper parallels and
micrometer is very common.
The taper parallels are pairs of wedges having reduced and
parallel outer edges.
The diameter across their outer edges can be changed by sliding them
over each other.

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2. Using rollers:
For more than 200mm diameter this method is used. Precision rollers
are inserted inside the thread and proper slip gauge is inserted between
the rollers.

The minor diameter is then the length of slip gauges plus twice the
diameter of roller.

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Pitch measurement
The most commonly used methods for measuring the pitch are

1. Pitch measuring machine

2. Tool makers microscope
3. Screw pitch gauge

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Tool makers microscope:

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Tool makers microscope

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 WORKING
1. Worktable is placed on the base of the instrument.
2. The optical head is mounted on a vertical column it can be moved up and down.
3. Work piece is mounted on a glass plate.
4. A light source provides horizontal beam of light which is reflected from a mirror by 90 degree
upwards towards the table.
5.Image of the outline of contour of the work piece passes through the objective of the optical head.
6. The image is projected by a system of three prisms to a ground glass screen.
7.The measurements are made by means of cross lines engraved on the ground glass screen.
8. The screen can be rotated through 3 60°.
9. Different types of graduated screens and eyepieces are used

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Measurement of effective diameter
• Effective diameter measurement is carried out by following methods.

1 Two wires method

2. Three wires method.
3. Micrometer method.

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• Two wire method:
 The effective diameter can not be measured directly but can be
calculated from the measurements made.
 Wires of exactly known diameters are chosen such that they contact
the flanks at their straight portions.
 If the size of the wire is such it contacts the flanks at the pitch line, it
is called the ‘best size’ of wire which can be determined by geometry
of screw thread.
 The screw thread is mounted between the
centres & wires are placed in the grooves
and reading M is taken.
 Then the effective diameter E =T+P
where T =M-2d, & P is a value which
depends on diameter of wire, pitch & angle
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Two wire method:

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Two wire method:

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Two wire method:

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Two wire method:

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 Three Wire method
 The three-wire method is the accurate method.

 In this method three wires of equal and precise

diameter are placed in the groves at opposite
sides of the screw.

 In this one wire on one side and two on the other

side are used. The wires either may held in hand or
hung from a stand.

 This method ensures the alignment of

micrometer anvil faces parallel to the thread
axis.

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 Three Wire method
 This method is more accurate than two wire
method as it ensures alignment of micrometer
faces parallel to the thread axis.
 Here, three wires of exactly known diameters are
used, one on one side & the two on the other
side. The wires may be held in hand or hung from
a stand.
 From the fig, M=diameter over the
wires E= effective diameter (to be
found)
• d= diameter of wires, h=height of wire center
above the pitch line, r=radius of wire, H=depth of
thread, D=major diameter of the thread.
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 Three Wire method
For Whitworth thread,   55o , depth of thread  0.64P
 
E  D - 0.64P, cosec  2.1657, and cot  1.921
2 2
M  D  3.1657d 1.605P where Dis the major diameter of the thread.
For Metric threads, Depth of thread  0.6495P
 
E  D  0.6495P,   60o , cos ec  2, cot  1.732
2 2
M  D  3d 1.5155P
We can measure the valueof M practically & then compare
with the theoretical values using formulae derived above.
After finding the correct value of M, as d is known, E can be found out.
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BEST WIRE SIZE
P/4


Pitch line
B A




P/2

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BEST SIZE OF WIRE 33
BEST WIRE SIZE
The best size wire is the one which makes contact at the pitch line
or effective diameter of the screw thread. In other words, as shown in fig OB
is perpendicular to flank portion of the thread at the pitch line.

In the triangle OAB, Sin  BO A   AB , or sin90 -    AB

 

  OB  2  OB
AB AB 
OB    ABsec .
    2
sin 90 -  cos
 2 2
1
But OB  radius of wire   dia of bestsize wire (D b )
2
i.e. D b  2  OB  2  ABsec  .Alsosince AB lies on the pitch line, AB  P
2 4
where P is the pitch of the thread.
 P 
D  2©Pvishalnair
sec  sec 34
b
4 2 2 2
Surface measurement
• Surface measurement - also known as surface metrology - refers to
measuring the topography (or surface roughness) of precision surfaces.
• Surface measurement can be essential for determining a surface's
suitability for a particular application.
• Component failures can often be traced back to a precision surface that
was not manufactured to specification, either due to an improperly set
up machine or use of a process that is not capable of repeatable
producing the quality of surface needed

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• Surface finish, also known as surface texture or surface
topography, is the nature of a surface as defined by the three
characteristics of lay, surface roughness, and waviness.
• Surface texture is one of the important factors that control friction and
transfer layer formation during sliding.
• Considerable efforts have been made to study the influence of surface
texture on friction and wear during sliding conditions.
• Surface textures can be isotropic or anisotropic.
• Sometimes, stick-slip friction phenomena can be observed during
sliding, depending on surface texture.

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Surface roughness
• Surface roughness often shortened to roughness, is a component
of surface texture. It is quantified by the deviations in the direction of
the normal vector of a real surface from its ideal form.
• If these deviations are large, the surface is rough; if they are small, the
surface is smooth.
• In surface metrology, roughness is typically considered to be the high-
frequency, short-wavelength component of a measured surface.

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Waviness
• Waviness is the measurement of the more widely spaced component
of surface texture.
• It is a broader view of roughness because it is more strictly defined as
"the irregularities whose spacing is greater than the roughness
sampling length".
• It can occur from machine or work deflections, chatter, residual
stress, vibrations, or heat treatment

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 Methods of Measuring Surface Finish
• There are two methods used for measuring the finish of machined part :
• 1. Surface Inspection by Comparison Methods.
(i)Touch Inspection,
(ii) Visual Inspection,
(iii) Scratch Inspection,
(iv) Microscopic Inspection,
(v) Surface Photographs,
(vi) Micro-Interferometer,
(vii) Reflected Light Intensity

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 Touch Inspection
 This method can simply tell which surface is more rough.
 In this method, the finger-tip is moved along the surface at a speed of
about 25 mm per second and the irregularities as small as 0.01 mm
can be easily detected.
 A modification of it is possible by using a table tennis ball, which is
rubbed over the surface and vibrations from the ball transmitted to
hand and surface roughness judged thereby.

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Visual Inspection
• Visual inspection by naked eye is always likely to be misleading
particularly when surfaces having high degree of finish are inspected.
• The method is, therefore, limited to rougher surfaces and results vary
from person to person.
• More accurate inspection can be done by using illuminated magnifiers.

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Scratch Inspection
• In this method, a softer material like lead babbit or plastic is rubbed
over the surface to be inspected. By doing so it carries the impression
of the scratches on the surfaces which can be easily visualised.

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Microscopic Inspection
 In this method, a master finished surface is placed under the
microscope and compared with the surface under inspection.
 This is probably the best method for examining the surface finish but
suffers due to limitation that only a small portion of the surface can be
inspected at a time. Thus several readings are required to get an
average value.

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 Surface Photographs
 In this method magnified photographs of thesurface are taken with different
typesof illumination.
 In case we use vertical illumination, then defects like irregularities and scratches
appear as dark spots and flat portion of the surface appears as bright area. In
case of oblique illumination, reverse is the case.
Photographs with different illumination are compared and the results assessed.

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 Micro interferometer
 In this method, an optical flat is placed on the surface to be inspected and
illuminated by a monochromatic source of light. Interference bands are studied
through a microscope.
 Defects, i.e. scratches in the surface appear as interference lines extending from
the dark bands into the bright bands. The depth of the defect is measured in terms
of the fraction of the interferenceband.

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Reflected light intensity
 In this method a beam of light of know quantity is projected upon the surface., This
light is reflected in several directions as beams of lesser intensity and the change in
light intensity in different directions is measured by a photocell. The measured intensity
changes are already calibrated by means of reading taken from surface of known
roughness by some other suitable method.

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Direct Instrument Measurements
These methods enable to determine a numerical value of the surface finish of any
surface. Nearly all instruments used are stylus probe typeof instruments
Stylus probe Instrument
(i) Profilometer
(ii) Tomlinson surface meter
(iii) Taylor Hobson talysurf

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 Stylus probe Instrument
i. This type of instrument generally consists of the following units
ii. A skid or shoe which is drawn slowly over the surface either by hand or by
motor drive
iii. A stylus or probe which moves over the surface with the skid
iv. An amplifying device for magnifying thestylus movement
v. A recording device to produce a trace
vi. A means for analysing the trace

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 Skid
 A skid or shoe which is drawn slowly
over the surface either by hand or
by motor drive. The
 skid when moved over the surface,
follows its general contours and
provides a datum for the
measurements.

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Stylus probe
 A stylus or probe which moves over the
surface with the skid. The stylus for Ra
measurement on new instrument can have a
radius of 10 microns ±30%.
 Stylus should be cone shaped with a
spherical tip.

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Recording
 A recording device to produce a trace or record
of the surface profile.
 Usually the vertical movement is magnified
more in comparison to horizontal movement,
thus the record will not.
 Stylus give the actual picture of surface
roughness but a distorted trace obtained.

Amplifying
 An amplifying device for magnifying the stylus
movement and an indicator.
 Electronic or optical magnification is
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 Profilometer
 This is a dynamic instrument similar in principle to a gramophone pick-up.
 A finely pointed stylusmounted in the pick-up unit is traversed across the surface
either by hand or by motor drive.
 The instrument records the rectified output from the pick-up which is amplified
further and operates an indicating device

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Tomlinson Surface meter

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 The diamond stylus on the surface finish
recorder is held by spring pressure against
the surface of a lapped steel cylinder.
 The stylus is also attached to the body of the
instrument by a leaf spring and its height is
adjustable to enable the diamond to be
positioned conveniently.
 The stylus is restrained from all motios
except the vertical one by the tensions in coil
and leaf spring.
 A light spring steel arm is attached to the
horizontal lapped steel cylinder and it
carries at its tip a diamond scriber which
bears against a smoked glass.

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 When measuring surface finish, body is
traversed across the surface by a screw
rotated by a synchronous motor.
 Any vertical movement of the stylus caused
by the surface irregularities, causes the
horizontal lapped steel cylinder to roll.
 By its rolling, the light arm attached to its
end provides a magnified movement on a
smoked glass plate.
 This vertical movement coupled with the
horizontal movement produces a trace on
the glass magnified in vertical direction
and there being no magnification in
horizontal direction.

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Taylor-Hobson Talysurf

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 This instrument also gives the same information as the
previous instrument, but much more rapidly and
accurately.
 This instrument also as the previous one records the
static displacement of the stylus and is dynamic
instrument like profilometer.

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 The measuring head of this instrument consists
of a diamond stylus of about 0.002 mm tip
radius and skid or shoe which is drawn across
the surface by means ofa motorised driving unit.
 A neutral position in which the pick-up can be
traversed manually is also provided.
 The arm carrying the stylus forms an armature
which pivots about the centre piece of E-shaped
stamping.
 On two legs of (outer pole pieces) the E- shaped
stamping there are coils carrying an a.c. current.

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 These two coils with other two resistances form
an oscillator.
 The amplitude of the original a.c. current
flowing in the coils is modulated because of air
gap between the armature and E-shaped
stamping.
 This is further demodulated so that the current
now is directly proportional to the vertical
displacement of the stylus only.

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 The demodulated output is caused to
operate a pen recorder to produce a
permanent record and a meter to give a
numerical assessment directly.
 In recorder of this instrument the
marking medium is an electric
discharge through a specially treated
paper which blackens at the point of
the stylus.

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Analysis of Surface Traces
 Maximum Peak to Valley Height of Roughness.
 This is the mostcommon measure of roughness but is not by any
means a complete definition of roughness. But, since this is a
relatively simple method of analysis.

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 Analysis of Surface Traces
 Root Mean Square (R.M.S) Value
 R.M.S. value is definedas the square root of the mean of the
squares of the ordinates of the surface measured from a mean
line.

h 21  h22  ......... h 2n
hrms 
n
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Analysis of Surface Traces
 Centre Line Average (C.L.A) value.
 This is defined as the average height from a mean line of all
ordinates of the surface regardless of the sign
h1  h2  .......  hn
C.L.A 
n

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Analysis of Surface Traces
• Things can be much simplified by using a planimeter which can
find out the area of any curve. Then C.L.A. value

A1 A2  .......  An
C.L.A 
L

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Rz, Rt , Ra
 Average peak to valley height Rz: Average of single peak to valley
heights from five adjoining sampling lengths.
 Rt measurement. It is the maximum peak to valley height
within the assessment length. This measurement is valuable
for analysing finish to provide guidance for planning
subsequent metal- cutting operations.
 Average wavelength =2πRa/Mean slope.

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Thank you
End of module 3

VISHAL NAIR
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
MES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
KUTTIPURAM

+919544487260
vishalsg@mesce.ac.in
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