Scribd
Upload
288 views30 pages

Tolerance of Position, Part 1

This document discusses tolerance of position (TOP), including: 1. General information on TOP definitions, advantages over coordinate tolerancing, and types of part relationships it can control. 2. Theories of TOP including the virtual condition boundary theory and axis theory. 3. Common TOP applications at RFS and MMC, including inspecting TOP at RFS using an axis theory and at MMC using functional gaging. 4. A summary and list of references for further information on TOP.

Uploaded by

Orville Sutari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
288 views30 pages

Tolerance of Position, Part 1

This document discusses tolerance of position (TOP), including: 1. General information on TOP definitions, advantages over coordinate tolerancing, and types of part relationships it can control. 2. Theories of TOP including the virtual condition boundary theory and axis theory. 3. Common TOP applications at RFS and MMC, including inspecting TOP at RFS using an axis theory and at MMC using functional gaging. 4. A summary and list of references for further information on TOP.

Uploaded by

Orville Sutari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 30

Tolerance of Position

Part 1
Alessandro Anzalone, Ph.D.

Hillsborough Community College, Brandon Campus


Tolerance of Position, Part 1
Sections:
1. TOP General Information
2. TOP Theories
3. Common TOP RFS Applications
4. Inspecting TOP Applied at RFS
5. Common TOP MMC Applications
6. Inspecting TOP Applied at MMC
7. Summary
8. References
TOP General Information
Definitions and Conventions
True position is the theoretically exact location of a FOS as
defined by basic dimensions. A tolerance of position (TOP)
control is a geometric tolerance that defines the location
tolerance of a FOS from its true position. When specified on an
RFS basis, a TOP control defines a tolerance zone that the center,
axis, or centerplane of the AME of a FOS must be within. When
specified on an MMC or LMC basis, a TOP control defines a
boundary—often referred to as the virtual condition—that may not
be violated by the surface or surfaces of the considered feature.
TOP General Information
TOP General Information
Basic dimensions define the true position of the toleranced FOS
relative to the datums referenced in the feature control frame. In
certain cases, the basic dimensions in a TOP application are not
specified; they are implied. There are two types of implied basic
dimensions common in TOP applications:

1. Implied basic 90° angles—A 90° basic angle applies where


centerlines of features in a pattern (or surfaces shown at right
angles on a drawing) are located and defined by basic
dimensions and no angle is specified.

2. Implied basic zero dimension—Where a centerline or


centerplane of a FOS is shown in line with a datum axis or
centerplane, the distance between the centerlines or
centerplanes is an implied basic zero.
TOP General Information
TOP General Information
Advantages of TOP
In comparison with coordinate tolerancing, TOP offers many
advantages. Six important advantages are that TOP:

1. Provides larger tolerance zones; cylindrical tolerance


zones are 57% larger than square zones
2. Permits additional tolerances—bonus and datum shift
3. Prevents tolerance accumulation
4. Permits the use of functional gages
5. Protects the part function
6. Lowers manufacturing costs
TOP General Information
TOP General Information
Types of Part Relationships that Can be Controlled with TOP
TOP is commonly used to control four types of part
relationships:

1. The distance between features of size, such as holes,


bosses, slots, tabs, etc.
2. The location of features of size (or patterns of features of
size) such as holes, bosses, slots, tabs, etc.
3. The coaxiality between features of size
4. The symmetrical relationship between features of size
TOP General Information
TOP Theories
TOP Theories

Two theories can be used to visualize the effects of a TOP


control:

1. The virtual condition boundary theory—A theoretical


boundary limits the location of the surfaces of a FOS.
2. The axis theory—The axis (or centerplane) of a FOS must be
within the tolerance zone.

Both theories are useful and—in most cases—equivalent.


However, the axis theory is most common in RFS TOP
applications, and the boundary theory is most common in MMC
tolerance of position applications.
TOP Theories
TOP Theories
TOP Theories
TOP Theories
Common TOP RFS Applications
Common TOP RFS Applications
Common TOP RFS Applications
Inspecting TOP Applied at RFS
Common TOP MMC Applications
Common TOP MMC Applications
Common TOP MMC Applications
Common TOP MMC Applications
Common TOP MMC Applications
Inspecting TOP Applied at MMC
A TOP applied at MMC can be verified in a number of ways.
Variable gages, open inspection, CMM, and functional gaging are
all common methods of verifying parts dimensioned with TOP. In
this text, we will explain the use of functional gaging.

Functional Gage
A functional gage is a gage that verifies functional requirements
of part features as defined by the geometric tolerances. For
example, if holes on a part are intended to fit over studs of a
mating part, a function of the holes would be to assemble over the
studs. To verify the location of the holes, a functional gage that
simulates the studs of the mating part could be used.
A functional gage does not provide a numerical reading of a part
parameter. A functional gage often provides a “pass” or “fail”
assessment of a part feature. A functional gage is often referred to
as an attribute gage or a fixed gage because it checks attributes of
a part FOS (location and orientation).
Inspecting TOP Applied at MMC
Cartoon Gage
Often, it is desirable to analyze a max. or mm. distance on a part in
the design stage. Since a functional gage defines the extreme limits
of a part FOS, it can be used as a simple method to analyze part
distances. Because the functional gage does not exist in the design
stage, a cartoon gage is used. A cartoon gage is a sketch of a
functional gage. A cartoon gage defines the same part limits that a
functional gage would, but it does not represent the actual gage
construction of a functional gage.
The steps for drawing a cartoon gage are described below:
1. Determine the size of the gage feature. Using the MMC of the
toleranced feature, subtract (or add, for an external FOS) the
TOP tolerance value to find the virtual condition or gage size of
the toleranced FOS.
2. Establish the simulated datums (surfaces or axes) for the
datums referenced in the TOP callout.
3. Locate the gage features relative to their respective datums. The
basic dimensions from the product drawing are used to locate
the gage features relative to the datums.
Inspecting TOP Applied at MMC
Inspecting TOP Applied at MMC
Summary
References
http://www.tarleton.edu/~tbarker/2153/Notes_Handouts/CHAP12_GD&T.pdf
http://www.etinews.com/tip_mnth_rulespostol.html
http://www.efunda.com/designstandards/gdt/2D_bonus_tol.cfm
http://www.jjjtrain.com/vms/geotol_true_pos_tol_zone/geotol_tp_00.html
http://www.toolingu.com/definition-350310-12380-position-tolerance.html

You might also like