19M603 Metrology & Instrumentation

Basics of measurement system and devices

Course outcome 1 (CO1): Demonstrate knowledge on measurement system

and associated error

• Unit 1 - Basics of measurement system and devices

– Definition of metrology, accuracy, precision and sensitivity,
Abbe‘s principle.

– Three stages of generalized measurement system - mechanical

loading

– Static characteristics of instruments

– Factors considered in selection of instruments - commonly

used terms,

– Error analysis and classification - sources of error.

– Principle of interferometry, laser interferometer.

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 Content
• Learning objectives
• Definition of Metrology
• Three subfield of metrology
• Objectives of metrology
• Role of metrology in innovation
• Process of measurement
• Need for measurement/inspection
• Importance of measurement
• Accuracy and Precision
• Problems associated with measurement
• Legal metrology
• National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
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Learning objectives

• To understand the basic definition of metrology, subfield and

objectives of metrology

• To know the role of metrology in innovation

• To understand the need, importance, issues and methods of

measurement

• To know the relationship between accuracy, precision and

sensitivity

• To understand the importance of legal metrology

• To know about the NPL

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 Definition of Metrology
• Definition
– Metrology is the science of measurement and national
metrology institute around the world make sure that the
measurement we use are fit for purpose
• Three basic activities of metrology
– Definition of internationally accepted unit of measurement [SI
units]

– Realization of the units of measurement in practice[Realization of

a meter by establishing a material standard]

– Establishing traceability, linking measurement made in practice,

to reference standard
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Three subfield of metrology

• Scientific or fundamental metrology

– Establishment of measurement units, unit systems, the
development of new measurement methods, realization of
measurement standards and the transfer of traceability from
these standards to users in society.
• Applied, technical or industrial metrology
– Application of measurement science to manufacturing and other
processes and their use in society, ensuring the suitability of
measurement instruments, their calibration and quality control of
measurements.
• Legal metrology
– Regulatory requirements of measurements and measuring
instruments for the protection of health, public safety, the
environment, enabling taxation, protection of consumers and fair
trade.
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 Objectives of metrology

• Determine type of measuring instrument needed.

• To find process capability

• Standardization of measuring method.

• Solution for measurement

• Design of gauges

• Application of statistical quality control techniques

Role of metrology in innovation

Fig 1

• To develop new products and process, companies need to measure

quantity, quality and performance.

• Manufacturing of precision engineering components, uses in

aircrafts and space craft, have tight specifications.

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 Process of measurement

• The sequence of operation

necessary for the execution of
measurement is called process of
measurement
• 3 elements of measurement
– Measurnad - Physical quantity
– Reference - Quantity comparison
– Comparator - Ref with std
Fig 2

• Example
• Measurand - MS flat
• Reference - Steel rule
• Comparator - Eye

Need for measurement/inspection

Why measure ?

Fig 3

For commercial Generate data to validate or

Generate data for design propose a theory
purpose

• Quantification
• Checking purpose
• Ensure the quality
• Monitor the performance
• Ensure the purchase specification

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 Importance of measurement
• Ensure safety
• Measure material composition
• Safety operation of vehicles, machine tool
• Propose food safety
• Consistence of time standard
• Ensure fair need between buyer and seller
• To ensure structural health
• Evaluate newly developed product
• Get accurate data in scientific research
• To meet the inter changeability concept
• Evaluate the possibility of rework of defective product or part.
• To ensure source of error, deficiencies in the processes.
• To establish limit gauging
• To achieve reverse engineering
• To augment reputation of the manufactures and to help him to
become a would class manufacturer 11

Measurement categories
• Primary quantity

– Example : Temperature measurement

• Derived quantity

– Example-Velocity measurement

• Intrusive

– Example-Venturimeter

• Non-instrusive

– Example-Laser doppler instrument

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 Classification of inspection

Labour involved Area of inspection

Manual Receiving inspection
Example : Length, hole, surface
roughness

Visual CAD to part analysis first piece

Example :Magnification lenses inspection

Automatic Batch inspection

Example : CMM, in-process Final inspection
gauging
Tool & gauge inspection
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Methods of measurement

• Direct method • Transposition method

• Indirect method • Absolute or fundamental

• Comparison method method

• Deflection method • Coincidence method

• Complementary method • Contact method

• Contactless method

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 Problems associated with measurement

• Unit of measurement

• Method of measurement

• Error of measurement

• Measuring instrument

• Accuracy

• Inspection

• Design, manufacturing and testing

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Accuracy and Precision

• Accuracy is an indication of the
range of the error that is inherent
in the measurement. As an
example, if you measure a distance
of a gauge block with a scanner or
micrometer and get 10.80 mm then
the measurement method can be
considered inaccurate since the
gauge block is generally accepted
as the standard.

• Precision is a measurement of the

repeatability, or consistency, of a
measurement. It is possible to
have a very precise measurement
without scatter (or noise) that is
repeatable and would be
considered precise (repeatable),
however it can be inaccurate
because of an instrument error.

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 Legal metrology
• Points covered by national law relating to legal
metrology

– Legal unit of measurement

– Physical present of legal unit

– Hierarchy of standards

– Specification

– Metrological control

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Contd..

• Objective of international Organization of legal

Metrology (OIML) established in 1955 under the

international convention of legal metrology, Paris

– To determine general principles of legal metrology

– To study with the objectives of different stack holder

– Establish law

– Organization

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 National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
• Objectives
– Establish
– Determine
– Develop
– Assist
– Commitment
• NPL fulfills the responsibility through interaction and metrological
inter comparison with other major standard lab listed below

– NPL,UK – BIPM, France

– NIST,USA – ETL, Japan
– WNIFTRI, Russia – NIM, China
– PTB, Germany – CSIR, Australia
– IMGC, Italy – DSIR Newzeland
– BIPM, France – NRC, Canada
– ETL, Japan
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Contd..
• Principal activities of the NPL in the field of metrology include
the development of

– Physico-mechanical standards

– Electrical standard

– Other standard

– Calibration

– Reference

– Participation

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 Classification of standards in order
National Reference standard
National Standards Every reference standard shall be
https://bis.gov.in/ verified and certified in terms of
the National Standards by
the National Physical Laboratory, at an
interval not exceeding three years.
National Reference standards Provided that in the case of length
http://www.nplindia.in/ measures such interval shall not exceed
five years.

Working standards Inter laboratory standard

Laboratory reference standards

Reference of working
standard of lower
order

Working standards
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Standards system in a industry environment

International Bureau of Standards

National Bureau of Standards

NABL accredited professional Laboratory

Plant standards Laboratory

Quality control/Inspection
Production

Product
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 Economics of measurement

1. Quality of individual unit of product

Measurement 2. Quality of lot

3. Capability of Manufacturing process

Provides
information on
4. Accuracy & precision of measuring
processes
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General Measuring system

Measurement systems contain three main functional elements are

i) Primary sensing element ii) Variable conversion element & iii) Data presentation
element.
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 Contd..

Piston cylinder combination constitutes a force -

summing apparatus, sensing and transducing
pressure to force.
As a secondary, transducer, the spring converts
the force to a displacement.
Finally input is transferred without signal
conditioning to the scale & index for readout.

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Contd..
• An accelerometer is an electromechanical device used to measure acceleration forces.
• Such forces may be static, like the continuous force of gravity or, as is the case with
many mobile devices, dynamic to sense movement or vibrations.
• Acceleration is the measurement of the change in velocity, or speed divided by time.

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 Contd..

Sensor - Transducer Signal Conditioning Readout - Recording

Example - Mechanical Gearing, cranks, slides, Indicators (Displacement

Bourdon tube for pressure connecting link cam etc. type)
• Moving pointer & scale
Hydraulic-Pneumatic Piping, valving, dashpots, Indicator (digital type)
Buoyant float, orfice, plenum chamber • Direct alphanumeric
venturi, vane, propeller readout

Optical Mirror, lenses, optical Digital printing, inked pen

Photographic film, photo filters, optical fiber, spatial & chart, direct
electric diodes & transistor, filters photography, magnetic
holographic plate recording

Electrical Integrated circuit device, Process computer

Thermocouple, amplifying or attenuating Various type of computing
semiconductor junction, system system
piezo electric crystals
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Attribute & Variable of measuring system

Characteristics Qualitative attribute Quantitative variable

system system
Grade of operator Unskilled Skilled

Cost of measuring instrument Low High

Speed of use Fast Slow

Recording of data Simplex Complex

Overall cost/Observation Low High

Info value/observation Low High

No.of observation to get good data Many Fewer

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Static and dynamic characteristics of measuring
system
• Static characteristics • Dynamic characteristics
– The set of criteria defined for – The set of criteria defined for
the instrument, which are used the instrument, which are
to measure the quantities change's rapidly with time is
which are slowly varying with called "dynamic
time or mostly constant. characteristics
• Accuracy • Speed of response
• Precision • Measuring lag
• Sensitivity
• Fidelity
• Linearity
• Dynamic error
• Reproducibility
• Repeatability
• Resolution
• Threshold
• Drift
• Stability
• Tolerance
• Range & span
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Contd..
• Accuracy
– It is the degree of closeness with which the reading approaches the true value of
the quantity to be measured. The accuracy can be expressed in the following way
• Point Accuracy
• Accuracy as % of scale span
• Accuracy as % of true value
• Precision
– It is the measure of reproducibility i.e. given a fixed value of a quantity, precision
is a measurement of degree of agreement within a group of measurement
– Characteristics of precision
• Conformity
• Number of significant figures

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 Contd..

• Sensitivity
– The sensitivity denotes the smallest
change in the measured variable to
which the instrument responds. It is
defined as the ratio of the changes in
the output of an instrument to
change in the value of the quantity to
be measured.

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Contd..

• Linearity
– The linearity is defined
as the ability to
reproduce the input
characteristics
symmetrically and
linearly. The curve
shows the actual
calibration curve and
idealize straight line.

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 Contd..
• Reproducibility
– It is the degree of closeness with which a given value may be
repeatedly measured. It is specified in terms of scale readings
over a given period of time.
• Repeatability
– It is defined as the variation of scale reading & random in nature
drift.
• Stability
– It is the ability of an instrument to retain its performance
through out is specified operating life
• Resolution
– If the input is slowly increased from home arbitrary input value,
it will again be found that output does not change at all until a
certain increment is exceeded. This increment is called resolution

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Contd..
• Threshold
– If the instrument input is increased very gradually from zero
there will be some minimum value below which no output change
can be detected. This minimum value defines the threshold of the
instrument.
• Tolerance
– The maximum allowable error in the measurement is specified in
terms of some value which is called tolerance.
• Range or Span
– The minimum and maximum values of a quantity for which an
instrument is designed to measure is called its range or span.

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 Contd..
• Drift
– Drift may be classified into three categories

• Span drift or sensitivity

drift
– If there is proportional
change in the indication
all along the upward
scale, the drifts is called
span drift or sensitivity
drift

• Zero drift
– If the whole calibration
gradually shifts due to
slippage, permanent set,
• Zonal drift or due to undue warming
up of electronic tube
– In case the drift occurs only a position of
span of an instrument, it is called zonal drift. circuits, zero drift set in
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Factors affecting measurement system

S W I P E

S - Standard
W - Workpiece
I - Instrument
P - Person
E - Environment

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 Selection of measuring instruments

• The measuring instrument is the most important part of the

measurement process and the selection of the instrument

therefore has to be done carefully.

• If the selection is not correct, the result of the measurement

may give a wrong indication, thereby leading to an incorrect

decision.

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Selection criteria
• The selection of measuring instruments depends on the
measurement to be performed.
• Generally, three characteristics are considered; these are:
– The range and magnitude of the parameter to be
measured and the accuracy of the measurement (the
instrument should have the range to cover effectively
the range of the parameter).
– The resolution of the measuring instrument should be
smaller than the minimum unit of measurement of the
parameter.
– Lastly, and most importantly, the accuracy or
uncertainty of the measuring instrument should
comply with the accuracy requirement of the
parameter to be measured.
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 Contd..
• For example, if a process temperature of 100°C is being
measured, the range of the temperature indicator should be
such that it can measure not only 100°C, but also
temperatures above and below that value.
• Suppose the following thermometers are available:
– (a) 0-99°C (b) 0-199°C (c) 0-99.9°C (d) 0-199.9°C
• From the range specification it is clear that the thermometers
(a) and (b) have a resolution of 1°C, while those at (c) and (d)
have a resolution of 0.1°C.
• For measurement of the above parameter, i.e. 100°C, the
thermometers (a) and (c) above are not suitable, since these
do not have the required range. The choice is therefore
between (b) and (d).

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Contd..

• This would again depend on the tolerance specified for the

task. If the tolerance is ± 1°C, then the thermometer (d) above
should be selected. If, on the other hand, the parameter to be
measured is 100º ± 10ºC, then the thermometer with a range
of 0-199°C would be sufficient for the measurement.
• The third important criterion for the selection of a measuring
instrument is the accuracy of measurement.
• The following table indicates the accuracy:

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 Contd..

• The selected thermometer, when calibrated, should exhibit an

accuracy that complies with the desired accuracy of
measurement as demonstrated above.

• Alternatively, if the supplier of the thermometer provides a

valid calibration certificate, the selection is easier.

• From the above explanation, it is clear that unless the

parameter to be measured is adequately defined, it is not
possible to make a proper selection of the measuring
instrument.

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Mechanical Loading
• Energy will always be taken from the signal by the measuring
system.
• The information source will always be changed by the act of
measurement
• This effect is referred to as loading
• The smaller the load placed on the signal source by the
measuring system the better the outcome will be
• While the first-stage detector transducer loads the input
source, the second stage loads the first stage and finally the
third stage load the second stage
• A measure of the quality of the first stage is its ability to
provide a useable output without drawing an undue amount
of energy from the signal.

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 Contd..
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=fmOnrEZ_z6k

C
B
D
A

• Pressure causes the section of the flattened tube ends towards a more
circular form
• This causes the free end A to move outward
• The resulting motion is transmitted by link B to sector gear C
• Then to pinion D and cause the indicator hand to moves over the scale
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