Software is an integral part of most measurement systems and it is particularly important in roughness measurement and analysis. Evaluation and assessment of measured roughness profiles must be performed in accordance with standards. Different types of standards for surface texture have been developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME), and other organizations. These standards may have different surface parameter definitions and evaluation procedures. Furthermore, definitions and procedures may be interpreted differently by practitioners leading to different implementations. The different standards and implementations can therefore yield differences in results. These factors drive the need for a standards working group to help ensure traceability in algorithm development by providing and maintaining a set of master algorithms and data sets for companies, universities, and instrument manufacturers to compare and validate their surface analysis software. This paper presents the development of an Internet-based surface metrology algorithm testing system. The system includes peer-reviewed surface analysis tools and a surface texture specimen database for parameter evaluation and algorithm verification. The system runs from a Website at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), USA. Companies, universities, and instrument manufacturers have remote access to standard data sets and analysis tools located on a NIST server. The system serves to validate the accuracy of algorithms as well as the calculation of surface parameters in industry.

Son H. Bui

Precision Engineering Division

Building 220, Room B248

Mail Stop: 8212

Phone: 301-975-6595

Fax: 301-869-0822

Email: son.bui@nist.gov

Not a Sigma Xi member

Poster Category: Engineering