Profilographs measure surface roughness and provide important information about safety and suitability for use. Originally manual, modern designs use lasers and computer programs to display data in meaningful ways. Profilographs can be used to measure newly finished surfaces, evaluate surfaces for work, and check progress. Manufacturers offer fixtures, accessories, and service contracts, and regular maintenance is essential for accurate measurements.
A profiler is a device designed to measure the roughness of a surface. Roughness can be calculated in several ways and provides important information about the quality and safety of a surface, as well as its suitability for its intended use. One of the most common uses of profilographs is on pavements such as those found on tracks and roads, where unsuitability for use could be a major safety concern.
Originally, profilographs were large wheeled devices manually pushed across the surface. A floating wheel would move in response to roughness and generate an outline on a printout, showing how far the surface has deviated from a baseline. This style is still in use, but many people prefer to use computerized systems. More modern profiling designs use lasers instead of wheels to measure pavement roughness, and can also take a number of other surface quality measurements. Some also take photographs and videos to document conditions during testing.
Computer programs can display data in a variety of meaningful ways to provide information. This may include graphs showing how roughness varies across the surface, linked to images of the surface to illustrate what different roughness measurements mean in terms of surface appearance and behavior. The supplemental data collected by the device can also be used to document additional condition information, such as surface slope.
A profiler test can be used to measure a newly finished surface to confirm that it is within engineering tolerances and will be safe for use. Roughness measurements are also used to evaluate surfaces to determine if they need work and can be used during construction, as well as to check progress. Stored data from various tests can be used to evaluate aging rates and compare aging rates based on traffic, weather conditions, and other factors. This can be used to compare different construction and maintenance techniques in efficiency studies and to plan future construction projects in advance.
Profilograph manufacturers supply a wide range of fixtures and accessories. Some even offer service contracts. Technicians can come to fix the device, calibrate it, inspect it for damage, and replace any missing or damaged parts. It is also possible for people to hire their own service technicians or use in-house staff to maintain their own Profilographers and other measuring equipment. Regular maintenance of the profilograph is essential for accurate measurements and reliable data.
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