Thread gauges are mostly used to ascertain the accuracy of metal and steel products which consists of threads. In order to secure that the products will be able to bear a desired amount of load it necessary to judge that the designs of the threads are accurate. Every manufacturer should emphasise on the specifications of the plan to curate the male and female component’s thread. Any disambiguation in the threads can lead to improper distribution of balance, causing a sudden collapse of the material.
An accurate measure of the threads is necessary to determine whether the product is capable of bearing the weight of a product. Before knowing more on threads is essential to develop a comprehensive knowledge of basics that are taken into consideration while threading inspection.
Basics of thread scrutiny
To begin with, there are two main components to consider while conducting thread inspection.
- External thread
- Internal thread
External thread – this is also known as the head of a screw or nuts and bolts. It is helical in a structure that directs a force and tussles between rotational and linear movement of the threads.
Internal thread – an internal screw thread is the helix structure that is designed internally on the surface of a cylindrical figure. Internal threads focus mostly on tapped holes and nuts. Considering both internal gauge and external gauge have to fit in ideally just like in the case of nut and bolt. Similarly, in a nut, there is an external thread or male thread that goes into a female thread of a bolt. The overall diameter of external threads of a nut must be equivalent of smallest diameter of internal threads.
It is thus necessary to make accurate geometrical measurements of the threads for proper distribution of weight of a product.
How gauge the measurement of threads?
The next most crucial factor is measuring the threads to ascertain whether there is equilibrium in the alignment of the threads. There are separate gauges to measure each part. Each thread gauge is further divided into two main types
- Thread plugs
- Thread rings
A brief elucidation on these types are mentioned below
- Thread plugs – these are the external threads. They are used for verifying external thread components.
- Thread rings – these are rings that contain internal threads and determine whether external thread components. This measurement is done by using thread ring gauges.
Thread gauges or thread ring gauges are not used to rectify the misappropriation of the measurements if found any but are put into use for determining them. The geometrical sizes of the external threads are taken into consideration and are reported in standard units. While in internal threads both ends of the plugs are inserted within the threaded component.