The key comparison EURAMET.L-K1.2011 on gauge blocks was carried out in the framework of a EURAMET project starting in 2012 and ending in 2015. It involved the participation of 24 National Metrology Institutes from Europe and Egypt, respectively. 38 gauge blocks of steel and ceramic with nominal central lengths between 0.5 mm and 500 mm were circulated. The comparison was conducted in two loops with two sets of artifacts. A statistical technique for linking the reference values was applied. As a consequence the reference value of one loop is influenced by the measurements of the other loop although they did not even see the artifacts of the others. This influence comes solely from three "linking laboratories" which measure both sets of artifacts. In total there were 44 results were not fully consistent with the reference values. This represents 10% of the full set of 420 results which is a considerable high number. At least 12 of them are clearly outliers where the participants have been informed by the pilot as soon as possible. The comparison results help to support the calibration and measurement capabilities (CMCs) of the laboratories involved in the CIPM MRA. Main text To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCL, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

In this paper, we report a gauge block (GB) calibration that is traceable to the SI unit of time, the second. Four ultra-stable optical telecommunication wavelengths near 1556 nm are obtained by locking a narrow-tuning-range fiber laser to a fiber-based femtosecond frequency comb. Since the GB calibration system does not operate at this region of spectrum, the superior frequency stability of the laser is transferred to the 778 nm region by using a waveguide periodically poled lithium niobate crystal. After applying the locking scheme, the stability and accuracy of the laser become better than 8×10(-12). The frequency-doubled light is sent through 30 m optical fiber to a GB interferometer, which is installed at a different laboratory in the same building. Using this calibration scheme, a GB with a nominal length of 100 mm is calibrated with an uncertainty of ±52  nm. This uncertainty value is still comparable to or even better than other metrology laboratories for a similar block length.

Abstract. At NMISA the SI unit for length is realised by an iodine stabilised He-Ne laser, an optical measurement. In industry most measurements are performed by mechanical probing. Gauge blocks are the link between the optical measurements and the mechanical measurements, and are therefore critical in disseminating traceability. The gauge block length is currently determined by wringing the gauge block onto a platen. This is laborious, requires skill and causes contact errors. Since around 1943, there have been efforts to build a double ended interferometer where gauge block length can be determined without wringing it onto a platen. While there has been a lot of progress in building DEIs, to date, there is still no commercially available DEI. We present a collaboration project between the National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA), the National Institute of Standards (NIS Egypt) and Stellenbosch University (SUN) in South Africa to build a double ended interferometer for use at the respective National Metrology Institutes. We investigate improvements to the interferometric calibration of gauge blocks and recent developments. The different systems currently in use in the national metrology laboratories are described and various designs are investigated. Lastly the expected outcome of the project will be discussed.

The need for high resolution detecting line scale graduations is reached by increasing of the requirements of the calibration system. At NIS, an adapted technique is used to meet high requirements in the line scale graduation measurements. The proposed technique comprises of an automatic moving stage, data storage system, and a magnifying microscope coupled with a digital camera for precise detection of scale edge or centre. In many metrological applications, wavelengths of laser sources are being used as secondary definitions of the meter to serve in the precise measurement using dynamic interferometer. In our technique, displacement measuring interferometer with its optical components are set on the measuring system to display the length scale in terms of He-Ne laser wavelength which increase the efficiency and the accuracy level. The calibration procedure depends on the static mode technique. Both of the geometrical errors and alignment errors are compensated. In the present paper, system description, calibration method, results, and uncertainty are discussed in details.

Industrial applications need regular testing for the lifetime, movement, strength, and performance of manufacturing machines during production process. Since speckle photography is a simple economic technique, it is used in investigating object response under mechanical and thermal effects depending on the movement of the speckle patterns with respect to the deformation strength and direction. In the present work, the cross-correlation technique is used to analyze the speckle patterns by iterative method to define both values and directions of rigid body translation and expansion. In order to check the accuracy of the cross-correlation technique, the results are compared with the displacement values given by analyzing the Young's interference fringes resulted from the Fourier transformation of the speckle patterns. This noncontact technique is found to be accurate and informative depending on the stability and sensitivity of the optical system. This method of measurement is an effective tool in studying the hard cases of objects and machines under various effects.