Determination of 3D Surface Roughness Parameters by Cross-Section Method

Currently, in the production engineering the surface roughness parameters are estimated in three dimensions, however, the equipment for these measurements is rather expensive and not always available. In many cases to buy such equipment is not economically justified. Therefore, the 3D surface roughness parameters are usually determined from the well-known 2D profile ones using the existing 2D equipment. This could be done best using the cross-section (or profile) method, especially in the case of nanoroughness estimation, with calculation of the mean values for the roughness height, spacing, and shape. This method - though mainly meant for irregular rough surfaces - can also be used for other types of rough surfaces. Particular emphasis is here given to the correlation between the surface cross-section (profile) parameters and 3D parameters as well as to the choice of the number of cross-cuttings and their orientation on the surface.