Learn how light interference can measure precision gages with exceptional accuracy and speed.
This technical work reveals interference-based methods used to test and standardize precision gage blocks. It explains how planeness and parallelism of surfaces are measured by comparing them to calibrated light waves, achieving uncertainties of a few millionths of an inch. The text covers end standards, calibration procedures, and how repeated calibrations account for wear and time in gages. It also describes the experimental setup, including a temperature-controlled chamber, a Fabry–Perot interferometer, and a spectrograph system that captures interference rings on photographic plates.
Readers will see the practical steps for arranging gages in contact, using neon light sources, and interpreting ring patterns to determine gage length and surface alignment. The material includes methods for correcting measurement factors and for intercomparing three gages to assess relative accuracy, along with guidance on developing long or short reference gages from standard line standards.
- How interference rings reveal precise gage lengths and surface parallelism
- Calibration workflows using end standards and temperature control
- Setup details for interferometers, light sources, and spectrographic readouts
- Techniques for intercomparing multiple gages to determine best working standards
Ideal for metrology technicians, calibration labs, and engineers working with precision measurement systems.