Application of Fourier Analysis to the Outline of Object
Precise measurement of shape parameters of gear components is of ultimate importance for performance and service life of machinery. The conventional manual methods with aid of measurement tools rely largely on experiences of testing personnel. This study aims at developing an efficient and automatic methods for gear measurements, based on Fourier analysis with image processing software OPTIMAS. The shape parameters of gear are conveniently derived from the polar coordinates and the Fourier coefficients obtained from the image analysis software. The automatic methods are applied to two types of gear for illustration. The macro written for this purpose is presented and the measurement results are compared with conventional methods. It has been proven that Fourier analysis is a reliable and cost effective method for gear measurement. In addition, the results of Fourier analysis can be used to determine other parameters to characterize shape and size of the gear.