19M603 Metrology & Instrumentation

6MG2/G2B Even Sem 2023-24

MEASUREMENT OF SCREW THREAD

Dr A Prabukarthi
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
P S G College of Technology
Coimbatore-641004
Course outcome 4 (CO 4): Demonstrate an understanding of measurement of
screw thread and spur gear nomenclature

• Form measurement

• Thread & Measurement

• Screw Thread Measurement

• Error in Thread while manufacturing

• Measurement of various elements of Thread

 Form Measurement
• Screw thread measurement

• Gear measurement

• Radius measurement

• Surface Finish measurement

• Straightness measurement

• Flatness and roundness measurements

Screw Thread
 Thread & Measurement
• Threads are of prime importance, they are used as fasteners.
It is a helical groove, used to transmit force and motion.

• In plain shaft, the hole assembly, the object of

dimensional control is to ensure a certain consistency of
fit.

• The performance of screw threads during their assembly with

nut depends upon a number of parameters such as the
condition of the machine tool used for screw cutting, work
 Contd..
• British Standard Whitworth Thread (B.S.W)

• British Standard Fine Thread (B.S.F)

• British Standard Pipe Thread (B.S.P)

• British Association Thread (B.A)

• Seller’s Thread

• Square Thread

• Buttress Thread

• Acme Thread

• Knuckle Thread
Contd..
 Screw threads its
classification, ISO
standards
Screw thread
• SCREW THREAD is a ridge of uniform section in the form of a helix on the external
or internal surface of a cylinder
• PITCH of a thread P is the distance from a point on the thread form to the
corresponding point on the next form, measured parallel to the axis
• LEAD L is the distance the threaded part would move parallel to the axis during
one complete rotation in relation to a fixed mating part (the distance a screw
would enter a threaded hole in one turn)
Thread representation
Classifications of screw
threads
According to location
 external screw thread (on bolts etc.)
 internal screw thread (in nuts etc.)
According to configuration
• straight (helical) - most common, e.g., bolts, studs
• taper (helical), e.g., in drill chuck
• radial (scroll) as in self centering chuck
External and internal thread
Taper and radial thread
According to the direction of the helix
o right hand (common)
o left hand (occasionally)
According to form
o vee thread (600 or 550 angle) – most common
o acme thread (290)
o square thread (generally in power screws)
o buttress thread (45o)
o worm thread (290 ~ 400)
o semicircular (groove section) thread being used
in recirculating type bolts, screws.
Right hand and left hand thread
Acme, Square and Worm thread
• According to standard
o BSW (British Standard Whitworth); thread – size is
designated by TPI (threads per inch)
o metric thread; thread size is specified by pitch or lead (in
mm)
• According to number of start
o single start – most common
o multi-start (2 to 4)
• According to spacing of threads
o TPI (no. of threads per inch), e.g. 12 TPI
o pitch (or lead) – distance between two successive
threads (or length of travel of the nut for one rotation of
the screw), in mm
Single and multi start thread
Single thread
LEAD = 1P
Double thread
LEAD = 2P
Triple start thread
LEAD = 3P
• According to compactness or fineness of threads
o general threads (with usually wide thread spacing),
o pipe threads (more densed desired)
o fine threads (generally for leak proof)
• According to segmentation
o full threads (common)
o half turns as in half nuts
o sector thread – e.g., in the jaws of lathe chucks.
Thread forms
Metric
Threads
• Definition: Pitch for metric threads is the distance between corresponding
points on adjacent teeth.
• Course-thread is intended for general engineering work and commercial
applications
• Fine-thread series is for general use. Compared with coarse, a fine-thread
screw is stronger in both tensile and torsional strength
• Definition: the FIT of a screw thread is the amount of clearance between
the internal and external threads when they are assembled
• Tolerance grades: the larger the number, the larger the tolerance
• Tolerance position e (large allowance)
• Tolerance position g (small allowance)
• Tolerance position h (no allowance)
• For internal threads:
• Tolerance position G (small allowance)
• Tolerance position H (no allowance)
ISO Metric Screw Thread
Designation
• Nominal size (basic major diameter) and pitch expressed in
millimeters.
• Example: M16 x 1.5 – 5g6g

Metric designation Nominal diameter Tolerance position & grade

Pitch

• Example: M10 x 1.5 x 25

Ф10mm 1.5 pitch 25 mm long

Metric Threads continued
• For external threads, the length of the thread may be
given as a dimension of the drawing.
• For threaded holes that go all the way through the
part, the term THRU is sometimes added
• If no depth is given, the hole is assumed to go
THRU
• For threaded holes that do not go all the way thru,
the depth is given in a note (minimum depth of full
thread) Ex. M12 x 1.75 x 20
 Screw Thread Measurement
• Screw threads are used to transmit the power and motion, and also used to fasten two
components with the help of nuts, bolts and studs.

• There is a large variety of screw threads varying in their form, by included angle, head
angle, helix angle etc. The screw threads are mainly classified into 1) External thread
2) Internal thread.
Contd..
 Contd..
• Crest
• It is the top surface joining the two sides of the thread
• Flank
• Surface between crest and root
• Root
• The bottom of the groove between the two flank of the
thread
• Helix angle
• The helix is the angle made by the axis from point on
a thread at the pitch line with the axis
• Depth of thread
• The distance between the crest and root of the thread
• Flank angle
• Angle made by the flank of a thread
with the
perpendicular to the thread axis
• Pitch
• The distance measured parallel to the axis from a point
on a thread to the corresponding next point.
Contd..
• Major diameter
• Diameter of an imaginary co-axial cylinder
which would touch the crest of external or
internal thread

• Minor diameter (root diameter or core

diameter)
• Diameter of an imaginary co-axial cylinder
which would touch the root of an external
thread

• Pitch diameter
• The pitch diameter of a thread is measured
where the radial cross section of a single
thread equals half the pitch, for example:
16 pitch thread = 1⁄16 in = 0.0625 in the
pitch actual pitch diameter of the thread is
measured at the radial cross section
measures 0.03125 in.
 Error in Thread while manufacturing
• The errors in screw thread may arise during the manufacturing or storage of threads.
The errors either may cause in following six main elements in the thread.

• Major diameter error

• Minor diameter error

• Effective diameter error or Pitch diameter error

• Flank angles error

• Crest and root error

 Contd..

• Major diameter error

• It may cause reduction in the flank contact and interference with the matching threads.

• Minor diameter error

• It may cause interference, reduction of flank contact.

• Effective diameter or pitch diameter error

• If the effective diameter is small the threads will be thin on the external screw and thick

on an internal screw
 Contd..
• Pitch errors

• If error in pitch, the total length of thread engaged will be either

too high or too small.

• The various pitch errors may classified into

• Progressive error

• Periodic error

• Drunken error

• Irregular error
 Contd..
• Progressive error

• The pitch of the thread

is uniform but is longer

or shorter its nominal

value and this is called • Causes of progressive error

progressive. • Incorrect linear and angular velocity ratio

• In correct gear train and lead screw

• Saddle fault

• Variation in length due to hardening

 Contd..
• Periodic error

• These are repeats at regular

itself intervals along the
thread
• Causes of periodic error
Progressive error
• Un-uniform tool work velocity ratio.

• Teeth error in gears.

• Lead screw error.

• Eccentric mounting of the gears Erratic error

 Contd..
• Drunken error

• Drunken errors are repeated once per turn of the thread in a drunken thread.

• In Drunken thread the pitch measured parallel to the thread axis.

• If the thread is not cut to the true helix the drunken thread error will form.
 Contd..
• Irregular error

• It is vary irregular manner along the length of the thread.

• Irregular error causes

• Machine fault.

• Non-uniformity in the material.

• Cutting action is not correct.

• Machining disturbances.
 Contd..
• Effect of pitch errors

• Increase the effective diameter of the bolt and decreases the diameter of

nut .

• The functional diameter of the nut will be less.

• Reduce the clearance.

• Increase the interference between mating threads

Measurement of various elements of Thread
• To find out the accuracy of a screw thread it will be necessary to measure

the following:

• Major diameter

• Minor diameter

• Effective or Pitch diameter

• Pitch

• Thread angle and form

 Contd..
• The instrum ents which are used to find th e

major diameter are by

• Ordinary micrometer

• Bench micrometer.

Ordinary micrometer

Bench micrometer
 Measurement of Effective Diameter
• Effective diameter of a screw thread is the

diameter of the pitch cylinder, which is

coaxial with the axis of the screw and

intersects the flanks of the threads in s u c h

a way so as to make the width of threads

and widths of spaces between them equal.

• Since it is a notional value, it cannot be

measured directly and we have to find the

means of measuring it in a n indirect way.

 Contd..
• Thread measurement by wire method is a sim ple and popular way
of

measuring an effective diameter.

• Small, hardened steel wires (best-size wire) are placed in the thread

groove, and the distance over them is measured as part of the

measurement process.
 Contd..

• Wires which touch the thread at the pitch diameter are known as “Best Size”
Wires.
• S u ch wires are u sed becau se the measurements of pitch diameter are
least affected by errors that may be present in the angle of the thread.
• There are three methods of using wires: one-wire, two-wire, and three-wire methods
 Measurement of Effective diameter using floating carriage micrometer

• A floating carriage micrometer, sometimes

referred to as an effective diameter measuring
micrometer, is an instrument that is used for
accurate measurement of ‘thread plug gauges’.

• Gauge dimensions s uch as outside diameter,

pitch diameter, and root diameter are measured
with the help of this instrument.

• All these dimensions have a vital role in thread

plug gauges, since the accuracy and
interchangeability of the component depend on
the gauges used.

• To reduce the effect of slight errors in the

micrometer screws and measuring faces, this
micrometer is basically used as a comparator.
 Contd..
• A thread gauge is used to check the dimensions of a specific thread form angle, pitch and diameter.
• Plug gauges are used to check internal threads, whereas ring gauges are used to check external
threads.
• A ring gauge, or ring gage, is a cylindrical ring of a thermally stable material, often steel, whose
inside diameter is finished to gauge tolerance and is used for checking the external diameter of a
cylindrical object.

Ring gauge Thread plug gauge gauge

 Contd..

• The go thread plug gage should engage the internal

threaded part with very little force used.
• The engagement should be smooth.
• There is no specification regarding torque or pounds of
pressure for using thread plug gages. Common sense
should be applied based on factors of thread size, pitch,
and application.
• If the gage starts to bind, the inspector should stop before
damaging the part or the gage. The part may be undersized
or tapered.
• Other possibilities include lead error or a damaged thread.
With fine threads the inspector should be careful to not
cross thread the parts.
 Contd..

• It is important to use the no go gage as it checks pitch

diameter exclusively.
• It is unaffected by other conditions in the screw thread
as it is intentionally truncated on the crests and with
greater
clearance applied on the roots of the thread.
• The no go thread plug should not enter the part more than
3 turns although in practice it is advisable to limit the
amount of turns to 1 ½ - 2 turns max .
• The user just simply counts turns. The end user should
review the applicable thread specification in detail as there
are variations to the above practice.
Measurement of Effective diameter - method
Measurement of Effective diameter using two wire method
Contd..
Contd..
Contd..
Contd..
 Problem

• A metric screw thread is being

inspected using the two-wire method in

order to measure its effective diameter

and the following data is generated:

pitch = 1.5 m m , diameter of the best

size wire = 0.866 m m , distance over the

wires = 26.58 m m , and thread angle =

60°. Determine the effective diameter of

the screw thread.

Three wire method
 Contd..
let M be the distance over the wires, E the effective diameter of the
screw, d the diameter of best-size wires, and H the height of threads.

If h is the height of the centre of wire from the pitch line, then h = O C − BC

Distance over wires, M = E + 2h + 2r, where r is the radius of the wires.

 Problem
• Determine the effective diameter of a metric screw using the three-wire method. The following data is available:
diameter of the best size wire = 0.740 m m , distance over the wires = 25.58 m m , and pitch = 1.25 m m .
 Best wire size
• This wire is of su c h a diameter
that it makes contact with the
flanks of the thread on the
effective diameter or the
line. pitch

• Actually, the effective diameter

can be measured with a wire of
any diameter that makes contact
with the true flank of the thread,
but the values ,so obtained will
differ from those obtained using
best-size wires if there is any
error in angle or form of thread.

• It is advised to take a wire within

a range of ± (1/5) of flank length.
 Problem
• It is required to measure the effective diameter of a screw using the two-wire method. The distance across 10
threads measured using a scale is 12.5 m m . Determine the size of the best wire for metric threads. If the thread
angle is 60˚
Thank you