CALIBRATION SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

February 1969

This document is
PUBLICLY RELEASABLE

UAM'd Mfathh Q&TX

Authorizing Official
Date
IIKI AOtb

Division of Reactor Development and Technology

United States Atomic Energy Commission

DISCLAIMER
This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an
agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States
Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees,
makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability
or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any
information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents
that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference
herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by
trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not
necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or
favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The
views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily
state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency
thereof.

D IS C L A IM E R
Portions of this document may be illegible in electronic image
products. Images are produced from the best available
original document.

f .
^

STANDARD

(Tentative)

RDT

F 3-2 T

Date

7 Feb. 69

Page

(S-9052

of __5

CALIBRATION SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

1. SCOPE

1.1 This specification provides for the establishment and

maintenance of a calibration system to control the accuracy
of the measuring and test equipment used in furnishing supplies
and services.

This specification, when referenced, applies

to all contracts under which the contractor is required to

maintain measuring and test equipment in support of contract
requirements.

1.2 This specification and any procedure or document ex

ecuted in its implementation shall be in addition to and not
in derogation of other requirements.
2. DEFINITIONS
2.1 Accuracy - The term accuracy as applied for compliance
with this specification shall include the concepts of (1)
freedom from systematic or constant error of measurement (bias)
and (2) repeatability of measurements

(precision).

To permit

comparison of contractors on the same basis, bias shall be

shown as average percent departure of measurements of standards
from the rated value of the standard.

Likewise precision

shall be shown as the ratio (expressed in percent) of the

standard deviation of repeated measurements of the standard,
and the true rating of the standard.
2.2 Calibration - Comparison of a measurement standard or
instrument of known accuracy with another standard or instrument
to detect, correlate, report, or eliminate by adjustment, any
variation in the accuracy of the item being compared.

.
RDT

F 3-2 T
2

Page

2.3 Interim Standard - An instrument used as a standard until

an authorized standard is established.
2.4 Measurement Standard (Reference) - Standards of the highest
accuracy order in a calibration system which establish the basic
accuracy values for that system.
2.5 Measurement Standard

(Transfer) - Designated measuring

equipment used in a calibration system as a medium for trans

ferring the basic value of reference standards to lower echelon
transfer standards or measuring and test equipment.
2.6 Measuring and Test Equipment - All devices used to measure,
gage, test, inspect, or otherwise examine items to determine
compliance with specifications; and devices used for in-process
measuring and testing of attributes to specification require
ments which cannot be tested for conformance by test of the
final product.
3.

CALIBRATION REQUIREMENTS

3.1 General - The manufacturer shall establish or adapt and

maintain a system for the calibration of all measuring and test
equipment used in fulfillment of his contractual requirements
for fabrication in the manufacturer's plant or by a subcontractor.
The calibration system shall be coordinated with his Inspection
or Quality Control Systems and shall be designed to provide
adequate accuracy in use of measuring and test equipment.

The

calibration system shall provide for the prevention of inaccuracy

by ready detection of deficiencies and timely positive action for
their correction.
3.2 Description - The manufacturer shall provide and maintain
a written description of his calibration system covering measur
ing and test equipment and measurement standards.

The portion

dealing with measuring and test equipment shall prescribe

RDT
Page

calibration intervals and sources.

F 3-2 T
3

The description for cali

bration of measurement standards shall consist essentially

of a listing of the applicable measurement standards, both
reference and transfer and shall provide nomenclature, identi
fication number, calibration interval and source, and environ
mental conditions under which the measurement standards will
be applied and calibrated.

As a minimum, the written procedure

shall include the following areas:

(a) Adequacy of Standards - Standards established by the
manufacturer for calibrating the measuring and test equipment
used to control and verify product quality shall be accurate
and stable over the range of calibration necessary to assure
the product requirements are met and that any deviations from
product requirements are accurately known.
(b) Environment Controls - Measuring and test equipment
and measurement standards shall be calibrated and utilized in
a controlled environment to assure continued measurements of
required accuracy giving due consideration to temperature,
humidity, vibration, cleanliness, and other controllable factors
affecting precision measurement.

When applicable, compensating

corrections shall be applied to calibration results obtained in

an environment which departs from standard conditions.
(c)

Intervals of Calibration - Test equipment and standards

shall be calibrated at periodic intervals established on the

basis of stability, purpose, and degree of usage.

The interval

used shall be stated in the manufacturer's written description.

(d) Calibration Procedures - The procedures may be a compi
lation of published standard practices or the manufacturer's
written instructions and need not be rewritten if they satisfy
the requirements of this specification.

The procedure shall

require that calibration be performed by comparison with higher

accuracy level standards.

RDT

F 3-2 T

Page

(e) Calibration Source - Measuring and test equipment shall

be calibrated by the manufacturer or a commercial facility utilizing
reference standards

(or interim standards) whose calibration

is certified as being traceable to the National Bureau of Standards.

Calibration of standards derived from accepted values of natural
physical constants, or derived by the ratio type of self-calibration
techniques shall be approved by the purchaser.

All reference

standards used in the calibration system shall be supported

by certificates, reports, or data sheets attesting to the date,
accuracy, and conditions under which the results furnished were
obtained. All subordinate standards and measuring and test equipment
shall be supported by like data when such information is essential
to achieving the accuracy control required by this specification.
In those cases where no data is required, a suitably annotated
calibration label on the item shall be sufficient to satisfy
the support data requirements of this paragraph.

Certificates

or reports from other than the National Bureau of Standards

or Government Laboratory shall attest to the fact that the Standards
used in obtaining the results have been compared at planned
intervals with the National Standard either directly or through
a controlled system utilizing the methods outlined above.
(f) Records - The application of the above requirements shall
be supported by records designed to assure that established
schedules and procedures are followed to maintain the
accuracy of all measuring and test equipment, and supporting
standards.
(g) Calibration Labeling - Measuring and test equipment and
measurement standards shall be labeled to indicate the date
of last calibration, by whom it was calibrated, and when the
next calibration is due.

When the size or functional character

istics limit the application of labels, an identifying code

shall be applied to the item to reflect serviceability and due
date for next calibration.

When neither labeling or coding is

RDT

F 3-2 T

Page

practical the system shall provide suitable procedures

for monitoring of recall records for items which are not
required to be used to their full capabilities, or items
which require functional check only shall indicate the extent
of checking performed.
(h)

Control of Subcontractor Calibration - The manufacturer

shall be responsible for assuring that his subcontractors

have a calibration system which meets the requirements of
this specification.
4. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS
4.1 Verification by the Purchaser - All operations performed
by the contractor in compliance with this specification will
be subject to verification by the purchaser at unscheduled
intervals.

Verification will include but not be limited

to the following:
(a) Surveillance of calibration operation for conformance
to the established system.
(b) Review of calibration results as necessary to assure
accuracy of the system.
5. NOTES
5.1 Documentation - All certificates, reports, records,
and procedures shall be available for inspection by authorized
representatives of the purchaser.