Surface Roughness Measurement: Alternatives to the Stylus

Stylus techniques are widely employed in industry for surface measurement in spite of their high cost and relative fragility. Other techniques are here examined from the point of view of their cost, robustness, ease of operation in a production environment, and horizontal and vertical range and resolution, Traditional methods employing tactile comparison specimens, pneumatic gauges, taper sectioning, light-section microscopes and glossmeters are discussed and compared with the newer methods of thermal comparison, capacitance and diffraction. It is concluded that tactile testing and pneumatic gauging are highly competitive with stylus techniques in a production application, and glossmeters, light-section microscopes, thermal comparators and capacitance meters also offer significant advantages. The specification of an in-process roughness measuring device is discussed, and pneumatic gauging is suggested as a promising technique. More effective results might be obtained from a combination of optical and electronic methods with advanced signal processing techniques.

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