Intercomparison to validate implementations of different laboratories of algorithms for the analysis of surface texture

The surface texture is an important feature of machine parts for any kind of contact. The quantification of its properties has been a well-established area in quality assurance for many decades. With the increasing demand for precision and interchangeability in the globalised marketplace, the results of surface analysis must be unambiguous and reliable. This is why the International Standardization's Technical Committee on Geometric Product Specification has updated its standards. Consequently, instrument manufacturers and calibration laboratories need to ensure that their analysis software complies with the new ISO standards. An intercomparison has therefore been carried out to validate surface texture analysis software. Over the past two decades, a number of tests have been conducted on surface texture measurement and analysis methods, including issues of instrument response, discretisation and quantisation. This article examines the numerical and computational aspects of analysis algorithms that process data sets of discrete values of finite floating-point precision as input. The method of testing texture analysis algorithms utilising software measurement standards (softgauges) and the specification of the test tasks are explained. The results of the comparison are presented and discussed.