Surface Texture

Measurement
Fundamentals
Dave MacKenzie

Willrich Precision Instrument Co

Ph: 866-945-5742
email: [email protected]

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 1
 Presentation Scope
• Examples of Why We Measure Surface Texture
• Stylus Based Instruments
• Stylus Tracing Methods
• Filters and Cutoff
• Basic Parameters
• Best Practices
• Correlation Checklist
• Review and Recommendations
• References
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 2
 Examples
of Why We
Measure
Surface
Texture

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 3
 Examples of Why We Measure - for Product Quality

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 4
Examples of Why We Measure - for Process Control

• Surface data has different wavelengths and amplitudes

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 5
Examples of Why We Measure – for Size Control

Roughness Mean Line

• Roughness peak
Average Roughness Height (R a)
to valley can be
>4 times Ra
• Surface texture
specification
Profile Peak Height Uncertainty Profile Valley Depth

should be in
Average Roughness Height (R a)
appropriate for
Roughness Mean Line
diameter
tolerance

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 6
 Surface
Texture
Measurement
Stylus Based
Instruments

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 7
 Classification of Profiling Instruments
Profiling
Instruments

Non-
Stylus Optical Scanning
Conventional
Instruments Instruments Microscopy
Non-Contact

Electron
Focus Projected Electron
Capacitance Ultrasonic Inductive Laser Interferometry Probe
Detection Light Microscopy
Microscopy

Intensity Differential
Phase Shift SEM STM
Detection Detection

Critical Astigmatic Scanning

AFM
Angle Method Differential

Skew
Foucault
Beam
Method
Method

Defect of
Confocal
Focus
Method
Method

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 8
 Early Analog Instrument
• Analog probe
• Analog electronics
• Paper chart recorder
• Mechanical drive,
similar to present
day

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 9
 Early Digital Instruments

• Analog probe
S6P • Digital conversion
• Dedicated processors
– Digital readout
– Later – CRT display

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 10
 Portable Instruments

• Battery Operated
• Inductive, skidded pick-up
• Integral or Separate Drive
• LCD Display
• Printer and Output
Available

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 11
 PC-Based Instrument

• Analog probe
XR 20 • Digital conversion
• Windows® OS
• Surface Analysis
Software

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 12
 Stylus Type Instrument Schematic

Tracing Direction

Part To Be
Measured

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 13
 Surface
Texture
Measurement
Stylus Type
Tracing
Methods

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 14
 Tracing Surface Irregularities

)
pa of
rn
nt tion
tte
mi rec
d o y (d i
na
La

90°

Tracing Direction

• Traces are typically done 90° to “lay,” with a conical diamond stylus
• To separate surface wavelengths, a filter is applied to the profile data

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 15
 Surface Irregularities

Mean Line

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 16
 Skidded Measurement “Skid”

Surface “Drive” Tracing Direction

Part To Be
Measured

• The skid and the diamond are independent, and are in

contact with the surface. The skid and diamond follow the
surface during measurement.
• The surface deviations are measured by the change in the
diamond position relative to the plane of the skid.

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 17
 Skidded Measurement “Skid”

Part To Be
Measured

• Skidded instruments measure only Roughness parameters (R…)

• Waviness is filtered out by the skid following the surface.
• Most portable instruments are skidded.

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 18
 Skidless Measurement
Tracing Direction
Surface “Drive”

Part To Be
Measured

• The diamond alone follows the surface during the measurement

• Deviations are measured by the change in the diamond position
relative to the plane of the drive datum guide.
• Skidless instruments are more expensive than skidded
instruments, due to the required straight datum guide
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement Slide 19

April 9-10, 2008

D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc.
 Skidless Measurement

Part To Be
Measured

• Skidless instruments measure Roughness, Waviness and Profile

• Skidless measurements are more accurate than measurements
done with a skid

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 20
 Conical Diamond

60 or 90
degrees

Radius 2, 5, 10µm
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 21
 Surface
Texture
Measurement
Filters and
Cutoff

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 22
 Measurement Lengths
λc1 λc2 λc3 λc4 λc5

Mean Line

• Evaluation length of 5 cutoffs is typical for Roughness parameters

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 23
 Roughness Filters
• A filter is used to isolate the roughness wavelength band
• Filters are Mechanical and Digital
– Mechanical filters
• Diamond Radius (valley suppression by diamond radius)
• Skid (greater or lesser skid “bridging” effect of skid on surface
valleys, dependent on skid geometry), also filters out waviness
– Digital Filters
• RC (Simulated old analog electrical “resistor capacitor”)
• Gaussian
• The user selects the “Cutoff” setting used by the filter to
isolate the roughness wavelength band
• Filters typically have transmission curves
• Filtered data is centered around a mean line

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 24
 The Role of Roughness “Cutoff” (λc)

• For roughness, the cutoff

value is the longest
nominal wavelength to be
included in roughness.
• Longer wavelengths are
filtered out. Shorter
wavelengths are included
in roughness.
Cutoff functions in a method similar to this • Wavelengths longer than
screening machine – sorting mixed material
via screens, into size categories the roughness cutoff are
usually included in
waviness.
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 25
 (λc) Roughness Cutoff Lengths
• The cutoff selected must be
short enough to exclude long
millimeter inch
wavelengths (waviness)
.08 .003
• The cutoff selected must be
.25 .010
long enough for a valid
.80 .030 sample (at least 10 toolmarks
2.5 .100 per cutoff)
8.0 .300 • Lengths are defined in ASME
25.0 1.00 and ISO standards
• Cutoff default formerly was .8
mm, now must be defined on
the drawing (ASME)
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 26
 Filter Transmission and Cutoff

• λ s short wavelength cutoff for roughness

• λ c long wavelength cutoff for roughness
• λ sw short wavelength cutoff for waviness
• λ cw long wavelength cutoff for waviness
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 27
 Effect of Roughness Cutoff Setting
λc .08 mm λc .80 mm

Roughness Roughness

Ra = .560 µm Ra = 1.149 µm

Waviness Waviness

W a = .827 µm W a = .229 µm
W t = 4.592 µm W t = 1.187 µm
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 28
 Effect of Roughness Cutoff Setting
λc .08 mm λc .80 mm

Roughness Roughness

Ra = .560 µm Ra = 1.149 µm
Rt = 5.555 µm Rt = 6.294 µm
Waviness Waviness

W a = .827 µm W a = .229 µm
W t = 4.592 µm W t = 1.187 µm
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 29
 Basic
Parameters
Ra Rq Rz Rmax
Rp Rpm Rv Rt
Wt

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 30
 Typical Surface Texture Callout

• Typical of ASME
Y14.36M-1996
• Other formats are
common

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 31
 Roughness Average (Ra)
• Ra is the most
Ra = AA = CLA commonly specified
parameter in USA
Ra ≠ RMS • Roughness average
(Ra) is the arithmetic

Rq = RMS average of the

absolute values of
the roughness profile
ordinates.

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 32
 Step 1: Calculation of Ra
L

Mean Line
10

Filtered roughness profile with mean line, peak to valley is 10

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 33
 Step 2: Calculation of Ra

Mean Line

Absolute value is applied to the profile data

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 34
 Step 3: Calculation of Ra

Mean Line

Z2

Ra ≈ (│Z1│ + │Z2 │ + …+ │Zn │)

Z1
n

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 35
 Different Surfaces, Same Ra

Bearing Ra = X

Shaft

• Surface performance is different due to bearing contact

• Ra is often specified and is valuable for monitoring process stability,
other parameters may be needed to monitor for surface function

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 36
 Step 1: Calculation of Rq
L

Mean Line
10

Filtered roughness profile with mean line, peak to valley is 10

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 37
 Step 2: Calculation of Rq
L

Mean Line

Z2

Z1 Rq ≈ Z12 + Z22 + …+ Zn2

n
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 38
 Calculation of Rz (DIN, ASME)
λc1 λc2 λc3 λc4 λc5

Mean Line

Rz1 Rz2 Rz3 Rz4

Rz5
Rz = (Rz1 + Rz2 + …)
5
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 39
 Calculation of Rmax
λc1 λc2 λc3 λc4 λc5

Mean Line

Rz1 Rz2 Rz3 Rz4

Rz5
Rmax = Rz5
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 40
 Calculation of Rp

Rp λc1 λc2 λc3 λc4 λc5

Mean Line

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 41
 Calculation of Rpm
λc1 λc2 λc3 λc4 λc5

Mean Line

Rp1 Rp2 Rp3 Rp4 Rp5

Rpm = (Rp1 + Rp2 + …)

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
5
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 42
 Calculation of Rv

λc1 λc2 λc3 λc4 λc5

Mean Line

Rv
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 43
 Calculation of Rt
λc1 λc2 λc3 λc4 λc5

Mean Line

Rt

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 44
 Calculation of Waviness Height Wt

Generally, a maximum peak-to-valley measurement of

waviness (roughness has been filtered out)

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 45
 Best
Practices
and
Correlation

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 46
 Best Practices - Mechanical
• Check the following:
‰Skid flush and parallel with surface being measured
‰Skidless drive datum level to surface being measured
‰Drive X axis parallel with part axis
‰Measurement on OD top dead center or bottom of bore
‰Tracing arm assembled properly (set screw or other
method)
‰Part held in rigid mount
‰Drive stable and set up free from ambient vibration
‰Surface to be measured clean
‰Measurement 90 degrees to “lay” unless otherwise
specified
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 47
 Best Practices - Mechanical
• Skid or pickup
parallel or
level to the
Correct
surface being
measured

Incorrect

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 48
 Best Practices - Mechanical

• Skid or pickup
on “top dead
Correct center”
• Alignment
parallel with
part centerline

Incorrect

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 49
 Diamond Condition

Diamond radius is gone, now a “crater”

Triangle Reference Specimen

Trace of reference specimen indicates

diamond is damaged

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 50
 Correlation Checklist
• If you have a correlation problem on surface finish
measurement here are some things to check:
‰ Instrument calibration to manufacturer’s method
‰ Parameter (Ra…) and Standard (ISO, JIS, ASME…)
‰ Filter (Gaussian, RC)
‰ Cutoff
‰ Diamond Radius and included angle
‰ Diamond condition
‰ Stylus force
‰ Skidded or Skidless
‰ Part alignment/stability
‰ Ambient vibration
‰ Data density (X and Z)
‰ Measurement location and orientation to lay
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 51
 Review and Recommendations
• To study surface texture, we filter surface data into
wavelength bands.
• The wavelength bands are called Roughness and Waviness
• Skidded stylus instruments measure only Roughness
parameters (R…). Most portable instruments are skidded.
• Skidless stylus instruments measure Roughness, Waviness
and Profile
• Cutoff default formerly was .8 mm, now must be defined on
the drawing.
• Use the same cutoff, number of cutoffs, diamond radius, filter
type (Gaussian or RC), and parameter(s) that your customer
uses and specifies.
• Be aware of standard authority (JIS, ISO, DIN, ASME). Do
not assume that parameters are the same!
• Routinely check calibration and diamond condition
Fundamentals of Surface Measurement
April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 52
 American National Standards
• ASME B46.1-2002
is the current USA
standard for
Surface Texture
• ASME Y14.36M-
1996 (reaffirmed)
contains the USA
standard for
Surface Texture
Symbols used on
drawings

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 53
 References
1. Tabenkin, A., : Surface Finish: A Machinist's Tool, A Design Necessity, Modern Machine
Shop. April 1996
2. Tabenkin, A., : Surface Finish Measurement Basics, Quality Magazine. September
2004
3. Tabenkin, A., : Where do we go wrong in surface finish gaging?, Quality in
Manufacturing. November/December 1998.
4. Sander, M.: A Practical Guide to the Assessment of Surface Texture, Feinpruf GmbH,
Goettingen 1989
5. ANSI/ASME B46.1 - 2002 Surface Texture, Surface Roughness, Waviness and Lay,
American Society of Mechanical Engineers , 2002
6. ANSI/ASME Y14.36M-1996(R2002) Surface Texture Symbols - Metric version,
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1996
7. Nugent, P., MacKenzie D., Developments in Surface (and Form) Measurement
Technology (Presentation for Caterpillar), October 2006.
8. Vorburger, T., Raja, J., Surface Finish Metrology Tutorial (NISTIR 89-4088), U.S.
Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, June 1990.

Note: Parameter calculations in this presentation are shown for discussion and purposes of
illustration only. Refer to the ANSI/ASME B46.1 - 2002 Surface Texture, Surface
Roughness, Waviness and Lay for actual calculations and methods of evaluation

Fundamentals of Surface Measurement

April 9-10, 2008 D.F. MacKenzie, Mahr Federal Inc. Slide 54