Optical_flats_in_use.jpg
Summary
Description Optical flats in use.jpg |
English:
Two photos of the use of
optical flats
to measure the thickness of metal parts within millionths of an inch using
interferometry
, from a 1921 magazine article. In each photo two optical flats are used, with the top flat resting on a precision gage block on the left and the object to be measured on the right. In the left hand photo a ball bearing is being measured, in the right a cylindrical steel plug gage. If the object to be measured is the same height as the gage block, the upper optical flat will rest flat against the surface of the block and no interference fringes will be seen. However, if the object is a different height, the top flat will rest at a slight angle, and there will be a tiny wedge-shaped gap between the upper flat and the gage block surface. The light waves reflecting from the two surfaces interfere, creating a pattern of bright and dark "
interference fringes
" (also called
Newton's rings
). The surface is illuminated by a monochromatic light source with a precisely known wavelength. Each interference fringe represents a difference in height from the previous fringe of one-half the wavelength, so the difference in height can be measured by counting the interference fringes.
In this example, red selenium light with a wavelength of 25 microinches (μin) is used, so each band represents a difference in height of 12.5 μin. The ball bearing in the left photo is in error by 140 μin, while the plug gage is in error by 60 μin. The optical flat itself is flat within 2.5 μin. |
Date | |
Source | Downloaded 2011-03-04 from Illustrated World , Vol. 34, No. 5 (January 1921) R.T. Miller, Chicago, USA, p. 873 on Google Books |
Author | Unknown author Unknown author |
Permission
( Reusing this file ) |
Public domain in USA - published in USA prior to 1923 |
Licensing
Public domain Public domain false false |
This media file is in the
public domain
in the
United States
. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first
publication
occurred prior to January 1, 1929, and if not then due to lack of notice or renewal. See
this page
for further explanation.
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rule of the shorter term
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and
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