ABSTRACT
In manufacturing, the success or failure, and the next action plan are derived from the measurement and inspection methods applied in every step of producing aerospace components. Various manufacturing processes for making aircraft components from metallic products and also composite materials have been discussed in the Chapters 7-18. Measurement is the fundamental approach used to control, verify production performance, and as a starting point for process improvement. Measurement techniques play a very important role in every step of manufacturing processes starting from the input of raw materials to nished products. Measurement techniques are used to ensure engineering geometry requirements are met, from simple to complex contours. This is done to assure maintaining the highest quality of the aerospace products. Individual part measurements can be done directly using various measuring tools, gages, and also by using check xtures for contoured parts. For all manufactured parts of an aircraft, there is a need to measure some fundamental dimensional elements including length, width, thickness, height, depth, and radius. Besides measurement methods to measure the engineering denition of a part, several testing/inspection methods are very critical to verify material soundness and integrity of the part, which ensures it is free from any surface and subsurface aws including cracks. This chapter will cover the fundamentals of measurement and inspection methods required for manufacturing aerospace parts as illustrated in Figure 19.1.
