Dimensioning and Tolerancing

Maheneder Kumar 
 

 ANSI Y14.5-1994 Standard

This standard establishes uniform practices for 

defining and interpreting dimensions, and
tolerances, and related requirements for use on
engineering drawings.

The figures in this presentation

are taken from Bruce Wilson¶s
 Design Dimensioning and Tolerancing .
 

What is a µgood level of tolerance¶?

Designer:
tight tolerance is better 
(less vibration, less wear, less noise)

Machinist:
large tolerances is better 
(easier to machine, faster to produce,
easier to assemble)
 

Toleranci ng appl ic  ati on: an example

The type of  fit  between mating features

Designer needs to specify:

 basic diameter and the tolerance of shaft: S ± s/2

 basic diameter and the tolerance of hole:  H ±h/2

Allowance: a = Dhmin ± D smax.

 

Fit Between Par ts

 Clearance fit: The shaft maximum diameter is smaller than the hole minimum diameter.
 Interference fit: The shaft minimum diameter is larger than the hole maximum diameter.
 Transition fit: The shaft maximum diameter and hole minimum have an interference fit, while the shaft
minimum diameter and hole maximum diameter have a clearance fit

Clearance Fit Interference Fit Transition Fit

 

Classes of Fit
The limits to sizes for various types of fit of mating parts are defined by the standard ANSI B4.1

There are five basic classes of fit:

1. Running and sliding clearance (R C)--there are type of R C fits, R C1-R C9;
2. Location clearance (LC)--there are eleven types of LC fits;
3. Location transition (LT)--there are six types of LT fits;
4. Location interference (L N)--there are three L N fits;
5. Force fits (F N)--there are five F N fits.
 

Unilateral and Bilateral Tolerances: 

nominal dimension

1.00 +
- 0.05 means a range 0.95 - 1.05

tolerance

+ 0.10 + 0.00
unilateral 0.95 - 0.00 1.05 - 0.10
bilateral 1.00 +
- 0.05
 

Overview of Geometric
Tolerances

Geometric tolerances define the shape of a feature as opposed to its size.

We will focus on three basic types of dimensional tolerances:

1. Form tolerances: straightness, circularity, flatness, cylindricity;

2. Orientation tolerances; perpendicularity, parallelism, angularity; and
3. Position tolerances: position, symmetry, concentricity.
 

Feature Control Frame

A geometric tolerance is prescribed using a feature control frame.
It has three components:
1. the tolerance symbol,
2. the tolerance value,
3. the datum labels for the reference frame.
 

DIMENSIONING
Requirements
1. Unambiguous
Incomplete
2. Completeness dimensioning

3. No redundancy
0.83 ' 0.95 ' 1.22 '

3.03 '

1.72 '
Redundant dimensioning
0.86 '

0.83 ' 1.22 '

3.03 '

Adequate dimensioning
 

TOLER ANCING
 

"TOLERANCE IS ALWAYS ADDITIVE" 

0.80 ' ±0.01 1.20 ' ±0.01

1.00 ' ±0.01

What is the expected dimension and tolerances?

d = 0.80 +1.00 + 1.20 = 3.00

t = ± (0.01 + 0.01 + 0.01) = ± 0.03

 

x
0.80 ' ±0.01 ? 1.20 ' ±0.01

3.00 ' ±0.01

Maximum x length = 3.01 - 0.79 - 1.19 = 1.03

Minimum x length = 2.99 - 0.81 - 1.21 = 0.97

Therefore x = 1.00 ± 0.03

 

Order of Precedence
The part is aligned with the datum planes of a reference frame
using 3-2-1 contact alignment.

 3 points of contact align the part to the primary datum plane ;

 2 points of contact align the part to the secondary datum plane ;

 1 point of contact aligns the part with the tertiary datum plane
 

Straightness of a shaf t
 

Straightness of a Shaf t
 A shaft has a size tolerance defined for its fit into a hole. A shaft meets this tolerance if at every point
along its length a diameter measurement fall within the specified values.

 This allows the shaft to be bent into any shape. A straightness tolerance on the shaft axis specifies the
amount of bend allowed.

 Add the straightness tolerance to the maximum shaft size (MM C) to obtain a ³virtual
condition´ Vc, or virtual hole, that the shaft must fit to be acceptable.
 

Straightness of a Hole

 The size tolerance for a hole defines the range of sizes of its
diameter at each point along the centerline. This does not
eliminate a curve to the hole.

 The straightness tolerance specifies the allowable curve to the

hole.

 Subtract the straightness tolerance from the smallest hole size

(MMC) to define the virtual condition Vc, or virtual shaft, that
must fit the hole for it to be acceptable.
 

Straightness of a Center Plane

 The size dimension of a rectangular part defines the range of sizes at any cross-section.

 The straightness tolerance specifies the allowable curve to the entire side.

 Add the straightness tolerance to the maximum size (MM C) to define a virtual condition Vc that
the part must fit into in order to meet the tolerance.
 

Flatness
Tolerance zone defined by two parallel planes.
0.001

1.000 ' ±0.002

parallel
planes

0.001
 

Flatness
 

Flatness, Circularity and

Cylindricity
Flatness Circularity Cylindricity

 The flatness tolerance defines a distance between parallel planes that must contain the
highest and lowest points on a face.
 The circularity tolerance defines a pair of concentric circles that must contain the
maximum and minimum radius points of a circle.
 The cylindricity tolerance defines a pair of concentric cylinders that much contain the
maximum and minimum radius points along a cylinder.
 

Circularity (Roundness)
 

CYLINDRICITY
Tolerance zone bounded by two concentric cylinders
within which the cylinder must lie.

0.01

1.00 ' ±0.05

Rotate in a V

0.01

Rotate between points

 

Parallelism
 

Parallelism Tolerance
A parallelism tolerance is measured relative to a datum specified in the control frame.
If there is no material condition (ie. regardless of feature size), then the tolerance defines parallel planes that
must contain the maximum and minimum points on the face.
If MMC is specified for the tolerance value:
 If it is an external feature, then the tolerance is added to the maximum dimension to define a virtual
condition that the part must fit ;
 If it is an internal feature, then the tolerance is subtracted to define the maximum dimension that must fit
into the part.
 

Perpendicularity
 A perpendicular tolerance is
measured relative to a datum plane.

 It defines two planes that must

contain all the points of the face.

 A second datum can be used to

locate where the measurements are
taken.
 

Perpendicular Shaf t, Hole, and

Center Plane
Shaft Hole Center Plane

 Shaft: The maximum shaft size plus the tolerance defines the virtual hole.
 Hole: The minimum hole size minus the tolerance defines the virtual shaft.
 Plane: The tolerance defines the variation of the location of the center plane.
 

 Angularity

An angularity tolerance is measured relative to a datum plane.

It defines a pair planes that must
1. contain all the points on the angled face of the part, or 
2. if specified, the plane tangent to the high points of the face.
 

Concentricity Tolerance Note

.007 Tolerance
.007 A
 A
Zone

XX YY

This cylinder (the right cylinder) must be concentric What It Means

within .007 with the Datum A (the left cylinder)
as measured on the diameter 
 

TRUE POSITION
Dimensional
tolerance
1.00 ± 0.01

1.20
± 0.01

O .8 0 ± 0 .0 2
Hole center tolerance zone
O 0 .0 1 M A B

True position Tolerance zone

0.01dia
tolerance

1.00

B
 A 1.20
 

Position Tolerance for a Hole

 The position tolerance for a hole defines a zone that has a defined shape, size, location and orientation.
 It has the diameter specified by the tolerance and extends the length of the hole.
 Basic dimensions locate the theoretically exact center of the hole and the center of the tolerance zone.
 Basic dimensions are measured from the datum reference frame.
 

Position Tolerance on a Hole

Pattern
A composite control frame signals a tolerance
for a pattern of features, such as holes.

 The first line defines the position tolerance

zone for the holes.
 The second line defines the tolerance zone for 
the pattern, which is generally smaller.
 

Vir tual Condition
Envelope
 All Required Tolerances
20.06 Maximum
Envelope

0.06 20.00
Maximum Maximum
Allowable Allowable
Curvature Diameter 
 

SURF ACE FINISH
w aviness

roughness

roughness widt h

waviness widt h
 

PROFILE
A uniform boundary along the true profile within whcih 
the elements of the surface must lie.

0.005 A B

 A 0.001
 

RUNOUT
A composite tolerance used to control the functional relationship
of one or more features of a part to a datum axis. Circular runout
controls the circular elements of a surface. As the part rotates
360° about the datum axis, the error must be within the tolerance
limit.

 A
1.500 " ±0.005

0.005  A

0.361 " ±0.002

Deviat ion on each

cir cular check ring
is less t han t he
Dat um t olerance.
axis
 

TOT AL RUNOUT

 A
1.500 " ±0.005

0.005  A

0.361 " ±0.002

Deviat ion on t he
t o t al sw ep t w hen
t he part  is rot at ing
Dat um
is less t han t he
axis
t olerance.
 

Runout
 

Geometric Tolerancing -
Definitions
 Maximum Material Condition (MMC) The condition in
which a feature of size contains the maximum amount of 
material with the stated limits of size, - fore example,
minimum hole diameter and maximum shaf t diameter 
 Least Material Condition (LMC) Opposite of MMC, the
feature contains the least material. For example,
maximum hole diameter and minimum shaf t diameter 
 Vir tual Condition The envelope or boundary that 
describes the collective effects of all tolerance
requirements on a feature (See Figure 7-25 TG)
 

Material Condition Modifiers

If the tolerance zone is prescribed for the maximum
RFS material condition (smallest hole). Then the zone expands
 by the same amount that the hole is larger in size.
Use MMC for holes used in clearance fits.

MMC

 No material condition modifier means the tolerance is

³regardless of feature size.´
Use RFS for holes used in interference or press fits.
 

MMC HOLE
L MC hole
MMC hole

hole axis t olerance zone

MMC peg w ill fit in t he hole ,

axis must be in t he t olerance zone

Given the same peg (MMC peg), when the

produced hole size is grea ter than the MMC hole,
the hole axis true position tolerance zone can be
enlarged by the amount of difference between the
produced hole size and the MMC hole size.
 

TOLER ANCE V ALUE MODIFIC ATION

O 1.00 ± 0.02
O 0.01 M  A B

Produced True Pos tol

1.00
hole size M  L S
B 0.97 out of diametric tolerance
1.20
 A MMC 0.98 0.01 0.05 0.01
0.99 0.02 0.04 0.01
1.00 0.03 0.03 0.01
The default modifier for  1.01 0.04 0.02 0.01
true position is MMC. LMC
1.02 0.05 0.01 0.01
1.03 out of diametric tolerance
For M the allowable tolerance = specified tolerance + (produced hole
size - MMC hole size)