Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The purpose of this research program is to develop a more reliable platform for coordinate metrology, to enhance adaptability and sustainability of the corresponding engineering/ scientific applications that need to use the information of geometrical or topological characteristics of surfaces. A typical manufacturing process reduces waste by compensatory works on defected parts, when the process is capable to recognize patterns and nature of possible errors to eliminate or correct them adaptively. This adaptability is the key to achieve greater sustainability for manufacturing processes or other engineering/scientific applications. Sequential performance of three analytical tasks of Point Measurement Planning (PMP), Substitute Geometry Estimation (SGE), and Deviation Zone Evaluation (DZE) in today's coordinate metrology, is subject to different sources of uncertainties, due to estimation of some aspects of a probability distribution on the basis of sampling. This can adversely affect the reliability of inspection. From the applicant's past research, developing concurrency in controlling the three mentioned computational tasks results in valuable opportunities to reduce inspection uncertainties. This novel approach is called an Integrated Inspection System (IIS) and it is an efficient solution to combat the inherent uncertainties in coordinate metrology. In IIS, an estimation of geometric deviations by DZE needs to be dynamically utilized by PMP to acquire the most useful dataset from the measuring surface. Hence, gradual progress of DZE has an important role in IIS implementation. Moreover, as the number of measured points increases, estimation of the optimum geometry by SGE becomes a challenging task due to the high nonlinearity of the resulting optimization problem. The IIS research program aims to develop customized computational methodologies to enable an infrastructural change in today's coordinate metrology workplace, to reduce levels of uncertainties and to increase sustainability in various Canadian industrial sectors. It will also have a direct impact on training of highly qualified personnel who can become the leaders of Canada's future metrology industry.