Tolerance-maps for line-profiles constructed from Boolean operations on primitive T-map elements

For purposes of automating the assignment of tolerances during design, a math model, called the Tolerance-Map (T-Map), has been produced for most of the tolerance classes that are used by designers. Each T-Map is a hypothetical point-space that represents the geometric variations of a feature in its tolerance-zone. Of the six tolerance classes defined in the ASME/ANSI/ISO Standards, only one attempt has been made at modeling line-profiles [1], and the method used is an intuitive kinematic description of the allowable displacements of the middle-sized profile within its tolerance-zone. The objective of this paper is to describe an alternative method of construction, one that is much more amenable to computer automation, to obtain the T-Map of any line-profile. Tolerances on line-profiles are used to control cross-sectional shapes of parts, even mildly twisted ones such as those on turbine or compressor blades. Such tolerances limit geometric manufacturing variations to a specified two dimensional tolerance-zone, i.e. an area, the boundaries to which are curves parallel to the true profile. The single profile tolerance may be used to control position, orientation, and form of the profile. The new method requires decomposing a profile into segments, creating a solid-model T-Map primitive for each, and then combining these by the Boolean intersection to generate the T-Map for a complete line profile of any shape. To economize on length, the scope of this paper is limited to line-profiles having any polygonal shape.