Surface roughness measurement of flat and curved machined metal parts using a near infrared super-continuum laser

We describe a system for performing high-accuracy, noncontact rms roughness measurements of flat and curved machined parts in the industrially relevant range of similar to 0.05 to 0.35 mu m. The system uses a near infrared (NIR) super-continuum laser to measure the intensity of specular reflection versus wavelength, at relatively long (similar to 1 m) stand-off distances and has the potential to be used in high speed, in-line manufacturing applications. The surface roughness value is extracted from the slope of the normalized specular intensity using the Beckmann-Kirchhoff (BK) model. According to the BK model, the normalized specular intensity in the NIR mostly depends on the surface roughness parameter alone and is independent of the absolute reflectance due to the normalization process. We discuss the benefits of performing the reflectance measurements in the NIR versus the commonly used visible spectrum. These include measurements at lower angles of incidence and the lack of need for a reference of the same metal composition. The roughness measurements performed by this system are in very good agreement with comparative data from a stylus profilometer and a white light interferometer. A potential industrial application is also demonstrated where the system is used to detect polishing defects in automotive engine crankshaft journals. (C) 2011 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.3644549]