Angle Measurement

Sine bar
Sine bar is a precision instrument used along with slip
gauges for the measurement of angles.
Construction
• The sine bar is made up of high carbon, high
chromium hardened steel. It is corrosion resisted,
precision ground and stabilized.
• Sine bar consists of a steel bar and two rollers. The
rollers are of accurate and equal diameters. The two
rollers are attached to two end of the bar.
• The axis of rollers are parallel to each other and
also parallel to the surface of the bar.
• The distance between axis between two rollers may
be 100mm, 200mm, 300mm.
• There are two grades of sine bar is available. Grade
A of accuracy 0.01mm/m of length and Grade B of
accuracy 0.02mm/m of length.
 Principle of Sine bar
The principle of sine bar is based on laws trigonometry.
To set a given angle, one roller
is placed on surface plate and
slip gauges are inserted under
the second roller.
If ‘h’ is the height of the
combined slip gauge and ‘L’ is
the distances between roller
center.
h
Then, sinθ 
L
1  h 
 θ  sin  
L
 Use of Sine bar
1. Loading any work to a given angle
The surface plate is assumed
to be perfectly flat, so that its
surface could be treated as
horizontal. One of the
cylinders or rollers of sine bar
is placed on the surface plate
and other roller is placed on
the slip gauges of height h.

sin θ 
h Thus knowing angle, h can be found out and any
L work could be set at this angle as the top face of
sine bar.
Use of Sine bar
2. Checking of unknown component
(a) For Small type components
Use of Sine bar
2. Checking of unknown component
(b) For large and heavy type components
 Limitation of Sine bar
• Sine bar can measure angle fairly up to 45°, but more
reliable if angle is less than 15°.
• The sine bar is physically uncooperative to hold in
position.
• Slight errors of the sine bar cause large angular errors.
• The size of gauges, instruments or parts that a sine bar
can inspect is limited, since it is not designed to
support large or heavy objects.
 Source of error in Sine bar
• Error in distance between two rollers.
• Errors in slip gauge combination used for angle setting.
• Error if the surface and axes of roller is not parallel.
• Parallelism error between axis of two rollers.
• Error in flatness of the upper surface of the bar.
 Slip gauge
Slip gauges are often called Johannsen gauges also, as
Johannsen originated them.

These are rectangular blocks of steel having a cross-section

of about 30 by 10 mm. These are first hardened
to resist wear and carefully stabilized so that they are
independent of any subsequent variation in
size or shape.
The longer gauges in the set and length bars are hardened
only locally at their measuring ends.
After being hardened, blocks are carefully finished on the
measuring faces to such a fine degree of finish, flatness and
accuracy.
 Use of Slip gauge
• Slip gauge may be used as reference standards for
transferring the dimensions of the unit of length from the
primary standard to gauge blocks of lower accuracy.
• For the verification and graduation of measuring
apparatus.
• Length measures for the regulation and adjustment of
indicating measuring apparatus.
• For direct measurement of linear dimensions of industrial
component.
 Classification of Slip gauge

Slip gauges are classified according to their guaranteed

accuracy :
• AA for master slip gauges
• A for reference purpose
• B for working slip gauges
 Slip gauge of size 1.43 mm
Slip gauge box
 Sine center
Sine centre is basically a sine
bar with block holding centres
which can be adjusted and
rigidly clamped in any
position. These are used for
inspection of conical objects
between centers. These are
used upto inclination of 60°.
Rollers are clamped firmly to
the body without any play.
The principle of setting is
same as of sine table
 Sine Table

The sine table is the most

convenient and accurate
design for heavy work piece.
The equipment consists of a
self contained sine bar,
hinged at one roller and
mounted on datum surface.
The table may be safely
swing to any angle from 0° to
90°.
 Problem
Set up a sine bar of 5” length between rollers to measure
an angle 15°.
a) What height of gauge block is required.
b) Suggest an appropriate set of gauge blocks from an 81
piece set having blocks:
0.1001” to 0.1009” in 0.0001” steps
0.1010” to 0.1490” in 0.0010” steps
0.0500” to 0.9500” in 0.0500” steps
1”, 2”, 3”, 4” blocks.
c) What is the actual angle of sine bar ?
d) If the room temperature is 95°F, the coefficient of
expansion is 0.000001 per inch °F and the gauge blocks
are calibrated to 68°F.
Then calculate the sine bar angle.
e) Suggest a new gauge block stack for the condition same
as (d).
0.1001” to 0.1009” in 0.0500” to 0.9500” in
0.1010” to 0.1490” in 0.0010” steps 1" to 4" in 1" steps
0.0001” steps 0.0500” steps
(49 no.s) (4 no.s)
(9 no.s) (19 no.s)

0.1001 0.1010 0.1260 0.0500 1.0000

0.1002 0.1020 0.1270 0.1000 2.0000
0.1003 0.1030 0.1280 0.1500 3.0000
0.1004 0.1040 0.1290 0.2000 4.0000
0.1005 0.1050 0.1300 0.2500
0.1006 0.1060 0.1310 0.3000
0.1007 0.1070 0.1320 0.3500
0.1008 0.1080 0.1330 0.4000
0.1009 0.1090 0.1340 0.4500
0.1100 0.1350 0.5000
0.1110 0.1360 0.5500
0.1120 0.1370 0.6000
0.1130 0.1380 0.6500
0.1140 0.1390 0.7000
0.1150 0.1400 0.7500
0.1160 0.1410 0.8000
0.1170 0.1420 0.8500
0.1180 0.1430 0.9000
0.1190 0.1440 0.9500
0.1200 0.1450
0.1210 0.1460
0.1220 0.1470
0.1230 0.1480
0.1240 0.1490
0.1250
 Auto-Collimator
Auto-Collimator is an optical instrument used for the
measurement of small angular differences, deflection.
Principle
If light source is placed in the focus of a collimating lens, parallel
beams will be produced in the opposite side of lens.
If a reflector is placed
normally against the
parallel beams, it will
come back in same path.
If the reflector is tilted
through a small angle θ,
the parallel beam is
deflected with a angle
2θ.
The focus will be in same plane, but with a distance x= 2f θ.
f= focal length
θ=angle of inclination of reflecting mirror.
Construction

There are three parts in an auto-collimator

• Micrometer microscope
• Lighting unit
• Collimator lens
A 45° transparent beam splitter reflects the light from graticule
to wards the objective lenses. The image is seen after
reflection in the external reflector, whose angular variation are
to be measured. The light comes from reflector passes
through splitter and image is picked up by microscope. For
simultaneous measurement in two planes at right angles a
micrometer (larger graticule) is fitted at right angle to eye
piece graticule.

Application

• Measurement of straightness and flatness of a surface.

• Assessment of squareness and parallelism of components.
• Measurement of small linear dimension.
• Machine tool adjustment setting.
 Measurement of taper angle

1. Angle of right-tapered piece

Angle of right-tapered piece can be measured by using two

rollers of different sizes, slip gauges and dial indicator. Two
roller of known diameter are placed on surface plate and
clamped by C-clamps. The work piece is placed on top of
rollers and clamped. If angle of piece is all right, then the top
edge will be parallel to surface plate and dial indicator will
show equal reading, irrespective of position on work piece.
 d 2 d1

θ AO 2
tan   2 2
2 AO1 L  d 2  d1
2 2
θ d 2  d1
 tan 
2 2L  d1  d 2
d 2  d1
Where L=length of slip gauge 2 d1  d 2
d1 & d2=diameter of rollers L ( )
θ 2
tan
2
 Measurement of taper angle

2. Checking of angle of a taper plug gauge

Angle of taper can be Checked by using rollers of different

sizes, slip gauges and micrometer. The taper plug gauge is
placed on surface plate. Initially two rollers of equal diameters
are placed touching on opposite sides of the lower surface of
plug on slip gauge combination of equal height (H1). The
distance M1 between the ends of roller is measured with a
micrometer. The slip gauge are placed on slip gauge
combination of height (H2) touching on the opposite side of
top. The distance between rollers (M2) is measured by
micrometer.
The half taper angle of plug gauge is determined as follows:-

 M 2 d   M1 d 
   where d=diameter of rollers
θ  2   2 
tan 
2  d  d 
H   H 
 2 2   1 2 
   
θ M 2  M1
 tan 
2 2(H 2  H1 )
 Measurement of taper angle

3. Checking of angle of taper hole

S
The taper ring gauge is placed on surface plate and a small
ball of radius r1 inserted on hole close to the small end of the
taper. Two piles of equal height slip gauge are placed on
either side of taper ring gauge. A depth micrometer is then
used to determine the distance from top face of ring gauge to
the surface of ball. Then a bigger ball of radius r2 is placed
and distance from top face of ring gauge to the surface of ball
is determined by depth micrometer.
 Measurement of taper angle

4. Measurement of included angle of a internal dovetail.

Dovetail are widely used in machine tool construction to

prevent the lifting of female part during sliding operation.
The angle can be measured by two equal size roller,
slip gauge and micrometer. Two roller of equal dia. are placed
at both corner and distance L1 is measured by micrometer.
Then the two rollers are placed on equal height of slip gauge
touching near the top and L2 is measured. The angle is
calculated by L L
2 1

tanθ  2
h
Where h=height of slip gauge