The reliable determination of periodic micro structures on open surfaces as they exist on
involute tooth flanks gain of increasing importance. They allow conclusions from the waviness of the
gear surface to the wear and running noise in gears. With the aim of determining traceable wave
structures, a method has been developed at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in
Braunschweig by which it is possible to model, realise and, especially, reliably evaluate wave-shaped
structures on the flank surfaces of involute cylindrical gears.