16M603 Metrology & Instrumentation

6MG2/6MG2B EVEN Sem 2023-24

Class 4 -Basics of measurement system and devices

Dr A Prabukarthi
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
PSG College of Technology
Coimbatore-641004
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

• Classification of standards in order

• Standards system in a industry environment

• Economics of measurement

• Attribute and Variable of measuring system

• General Measuring system

• Static and dynamic characteristics of measuring system

• Factors affecting measurement system

• Three stages of generalized measurement system

• Selection of measuring instruments

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 Learning objectives

• To understand the measurement based on international

standards, standard system in industry, and economic of
measurement.

• To know the importance of general measurement system its

three stage, attributes, variable, static and dynamic
characteristics.

• How to select a measuring instrument and criteria for

selecting the measuring instrument.

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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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 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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 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.
 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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Static and dynamic characteristics of measuring
system
• Static characteristics • Dynamic
– The set of criteria defined for characteristics
the instrument, which are used – The set of criteria defined
to measure the quantities for the instrument, which
which are slowly varying with are change's rapidly with
time or mostly constant. time is called “dynamic
• Accuracy characteristics”
• Precision • Speed of response
• Sensitivity
• Measuring lag
• Linearity
• Fidelity
• Reproducibility
• Repeatability
• Dynamic error
• 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.

𝑴𝒂𝒙 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆

% non-linearity = 𝑭𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈
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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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Thank You

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