Case Against Optical Gauge Block Metrology

Published

September 1, 1998

Author(s)

Theodore D. Doiron, Dennis S. Everett, Bryon S. Faust, Eric S. Stanfield, John R. Stoup

Abstract

The current definition of length of a gage block is a very clever attempt to evade the systematic errors associated with the wringing layer thickness and optical phase corrections. In practice, there are very large systematic operator and surface effects which cause systematic errors and most laboratories wring blocks to quartz or fused silica. We present quantitative data on these effects and show through detailed uncertainty budgets that the current definition of gage block length is the primary source of measurement uncertainty. For comparison, an uncertainty budget for gage block calibration by mechanical contact is presented.

Proceedings Title

Proceedings of SPIE

Volume

3477

Conference Dates

July 20, 1998

Conference Location

San Diego, CA, USA

Conference Title

Recent Developments in Optical Gauge Block Metrology, Jennifer E. Decker, Nicholas Brown, Editors

Pub Type

Conferences

Keywords

dimensional metrology, gage block, gauge block, interferometry, measurement uncertainty, mechanical deformation, operator bias, optical phase, wringing layers

Citation

Doiron, T. , Everett, D. , Faust, B. , Stanfield, E. and Stoup, J. (1998), Case Against Optical Gauge Block Metrology, Proceedings of SPIE, San Diego, CA, USA (Accessed April 17, 2026)