ME TROLOGICAL SERVICE

WAYS TO IMPROVE THE

OP P R O D U C T I O N

E. I . N e s m i y a n

M E T R O L O G I C A L S E R V I C I N G

UDC 389.1.001.6:658

The article "Tasks of the metrological service" has appeared in this journal (No. 4., 1970) [1]. Its publica- tion was very timely. The problem of determining the tasks of the metrological service has been noticed for a long time and requires immediate solution.

Metrology as a science develops at an increasing rate from year to year. Its application in production, how- ever, proceeds at a slower pace.

What is the reason for this phenomenon? It is possible to cite three basic reasons. The first reason for the slow development of the metrological service consists of its imperfect structure.

The structure of the departmental metrological service is described in [1].

At present the first link in this structure is completely missing in the instrument-making industry. Func- tions of the second link are performed partially by the All-Union Scientific-Research Institutes. But their work is reduced to planning of separate instruments and testing the production quality of departmental plants. The metro- logical supervision of the methods used in testing the basic products in the instrument-making industry is not car- ried out by anyone at the plants, with the exception of the Central Measurement Laboratories (TsIL). The USSR State Committee of Standards (Gosstandart) supervises only the means of testing listed in the State register. The USSR Gosstandart, however, does not inspect more than half the measuring equipment in the instrument-making industry. The metrological precision of this equipment is controlled by the central measurement laboratories. However, they are sometimes very badly equipped with measuring instruments, and it often happens that measuring equipment with excessive errors is used for testing.

As an example it is possible to cite the plug gauge for testing the linearity and tapering of conical reanurs for pins with a tapering of 1:50 made according to the All-Union State Standard (GOST) 11177-65. The plug gauge has a manufacturing allowance as small as ~ 3". Such an angular error of the gauge can be checked only on a universal microscope type UIM-21 (UIM-23) with a distance gauge type UZV-21 (UZV-23), However, not all plants are provided with these instruments. Therefore, this angle has to be measured with sine rules whose first- class precision models have an error of ~ 6 ~.

There exists a series of measuring instruments whose maximum error is larger than the tolerance of the tested articles. Moreover, this error is actually contributed by their design.

Therefore, the testing of nonstandard measuring equipment should be carried out not only by the measurement laboratories, but also by higher-placed organizations.

The basic industrial metrological organizations should deal with the problems of designing new measuring equipment, controlling its precision and accuracy of its application, and supervising its normalization.

The first two Hnks of the metrological service should be created, whereas the third one must be reorganized.

Each instrument-making plant has its metrological service. Although it is intended for supervising the pre- cision of the measuring equipment and its effective utilization and apphcation in various fields, the service is not a single unified entity.

Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 4, pp. 81-83, April, 1971. Original article submitted October 8, 1970.

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According to existing traditions the central measurement laboratory is incorporated in the technical control division, the thermotechnical instruments' laboratory in the Central Factory Laboratory (TsZL), and the electrical instruments' repair and maintenance service in the chief power engineer's department.

Each year the person responsible for measuring equipment is appointed by the administration in every plant. The responsibility for the entire measuring equipment in plants is borne, as a rule, by the head of the Technical Control Division (OTK). But this responsibility can be purely formal. The responsibility for electrical instruments, differential manometers, and water meters is often allocated to the chief power engineer of the plant; the responsi- bility for weighing instruments, to the chief mechanical engineer or even the head of the supply department. And it often happens that the responsibility for measuring instruments is remembered only during the regular heavy in- spections of the measuring equipment.

The responsibility for the measuring equipment of the heads of the Chief Power Engineer's Section (OG~), the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Section (OGM) and even of the head of the OTK is nominal, since they are already ful- ly occupied by their main work. In order that the responsibility for the measuring equipment should not be formal but have a legal nature, it is necessary to appoint a single person whose main occupation should be the supervision of measuring equipment.

In this connection it is necessary to establish the chief metrologist 's service at batch- and mass-production plants. Experience has shown that in the plants where there exists a service which unifies all the inspection of m e a - suring equipment, there are fewer defective instruments than at the plants where the metrological service is disjoint- ed.

The establishment of the chief metrologist 's service at the plants is also necessary for another reason. The central measurement laboratories in the instrument-making industry play a leading part in enforcing metrological discipline at plants. However, the fact that they regularly form part of the OTK produces a detrimental effect. The subordination of measurement laboratories to the OTK deprives them of the possibility of eliminating in time the errors in choosing measuring equipment, and the measuring equipment errors in developing and applying tech- nological processes. Often these errors lead to the necessity to scrap the manufactured measuring equipment owing to a defective measuring method or an excessive measurement error.

The establishment of the chief metrologist 's service will provide the possibility of raising metrological disci- pline and sharply reducing the number of defective measuring instruments at plants.

The second reason for the lagging of the metrological services behind the production requirements consists of the lack of a base for training metrological experts. Practically all the metrological service experts at plants have no special training. In our country there exists a single metrological educational institution, the Odessa Technical College of Measurements. However, the graduates of this college are allocated mainly to the work in the USSR Gosstandart system. The work in production has its own particular nature. In addition to rnetrological knowledge, a knowledge of the entire technological manufacturing process is also necessary.

The higher educational institutions of our country do not as yet train metrologists. The All-Union Institute of Standardization and Metrology (VISM) cannot as yet fully meet the requirements of industry.

It is advisable to introduce the following changes in the training of experts at the VISM.

1. Provide one-year 's correspondence courses with two examination-laboratory sessions in all types of m e a -

surements.

2. Specialization in all types of measurements with particular stress being laid on typical measurements in each industry.

3. The syllabus to include a course on the "Methods and means for testing basic production."

4. Recommend that the ministries should oblige the heads of their subordinate enterprises to send within two to three years all their leading experts of the metrological service for training to the VISM.

it is important that the higher schools should also start training metrologists.

In order to provide future engineers with even an elementary knowledge of metrology it is necessary to study technical measurements in a special course entitled "Introduction to metrology and technical measurements." There is no doubt that a curriculum of higher educational institutions is highly overloaded, However, its reasonably review may provide sufficient free t ime for this course, so necessary for future engineers. Higher schools should

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not neglect such an important task as the improvement of the metrological service in our country.

For a successful solution of this problem it is necessary to establish groups of future metrologists in the engineering, radio, electrical, and other specialized faculties.

Students specializing in metrology should be provided with courses on the foundations of metrology, errors and the choice of measurement means, control and measuring instruments, as well as courses on instruments used in the given industry.

At first the institute will experience a lack of lecturers with metrological training. However, the higher technical educational institutions are located, as a rule, in large regional and republican centers. In these cities there exist regional, interregional, and republican state inspection laboratories of the USSR Gosstandart. These laboratories have highly qualified metrological experts. Their experience and knowledge can be used in training students.

Finally, the third reason for the lagging of the metrological service behind production requirements is the following. Standardization and metrology are indissolubly united in raising the technical progress still further. In practice this link is not evident. At present many standards are being drafted and adopted with the aim of improv- ing quality, reliability, and durability of manufactured goods. The measuring equipment, however, does not always meet the new requirements of standards. It often happens that the application of standards is delayed, owing to the absence of the required measuring means.

In developing standards the correlation between the standardization and metrological services is always neces- sary. Simultaneously with setting the task of drafting a standard it is necessary to start developing the appropriate means of measurement. In the course of his development work the standardizer together with the metrologist should provide for measuring facilities. Manufacturing precision and the production of inexpensive and reliable means of measurement depend on a correct selection of measurement installations. Close cooperation of standardizers and metrologists will provide the possibility for raising production quality, it will facilitate a more rapid application of new standards, and eliminate various differences which often arise between enterprises and the organizations engaged in developing standards.

The metrological servicing of production is facing the foll0wing three tasks: 1. Improvement of its structure. 2. Training of personnel. 3. Closer correlation with standardization.

Much depends on the successful solution of these tasks. It will help above all to raise the efficiency of pro- duction by improving quality and to raise the reliability and durability of manufactured products, thus helping to solve the basic task facing our industry at present.

1.

L ITERATURE CITED

M. K. Ashcheulov and M. A. Aver'yanov, Izmeritel ' . Tekh., No. 4 (1970).

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