Geometric Tolerances

Geometric shape of a component is considered exact unless

specified.
e. g.
Straight line means straightness
Circle means that the profile is exactly circular
Parallel line means that these are exactly parallel
Lines at right angles to each other implies perpendicularity.
These form variations are called as geometric tolerances and
these also have to be within limits. And less than the Dimensional
tolerances.
Types of tolerances
 Terminology
• Geometric Tolerance: It is the maximum
permissible variation of form, orientation, location
and run out specified on a production drawing.
• Tolerance Zone: It is an imaginary zone within
which a component must be contained.
• Feature : It is specified portion of a component
such as hole, slot surface or profile.
• Axis : Axis is the theoretical straight line about
which a circular feature revolves.

• Median : It is the center line of a straight or a

bent shaft.
 Frame
• Frame is a box having some partitions.
• Datum : It is a theoretical point, lines or a plane from
which dimensions are measured and geometric
tolerances are referenced.
• Datum Feature : A datum feature is a feature of a part,
such as an edge, surface, or a hole, which forms the
basis for a datum or is used to establish its location
• Datum triangle : Datum is shown by a triangle (open
or filled) on the datum feature.

• Datum letter : It is an upper case letter enclosed in a

box to indicate an arbitrary name of a datum.
Tolerance
Symbols
Form tolerance for single features
• Straightness : Straightness of a line/axis or of
a line on a surface is the perpendicular
distance between two parallel lines touching
the crest and the valleys of the line/surface.
• Flatness : Flatness is the distance between
two imaginary planes enclosing the actual
surface at the lowermost and uppermost
positions.
• Circularity (Roundness): Tolerance value of
circularity is the difference maximum and
minimum radii of a cylinder any section.
• Cylindricity : Cylindricity is the difference in
value of radii between two imaginary
cylinders, enveloping cylinders at outermost
and innermost surfaces.
• Profile of a line : The variation lies between
the two curves which envelop the actual
curve.
• Profile of a Surface : Tolerance zone for a profile of a
surface is the space between two surfaces of same
profile which envelopes the highest and the lowest
point of the surface keeping the same profile.
 Tolerance on related features
• Parallelism : Tolerance on parallelism is the zone
between two parallel surfaces enveloping the
feature in relation to the datum surface.
• Perpendicularity : Perpendicularity tolerance is the
zone between two perpendicular planes to the
datum within which the controlled feature should lie.
• Also called as tolerance on squareness.
• Angularity : Tolerance on angularity is the zone between
two parallel planes inclined to the datum plane at the
specified angle in which the controlled feature lies.

• Angularity is not defined in terms of angles.

• Concentricity : Tolerance on concentricity is the
diameter of a circular zone within which the axes of
the two cylindrical features may offset from each
other.
• Symmetry : Symmetry means the position of a
feature is symmetric in relation to datum.
• Position : The actual centre of the circle may lie
within a tolerance zone indicated by a small circle
of diameter 0.1 mm.
 Run out
• Circular Run out : Circular run out is the deviation
from an ideal surface when a part is rotated by
3600. It could be radial or axial both.
• Total Run out : Total run out is not a circular run out at one
particular position but found when the dial indicator is
moved axially over the entire surface parallel to the axis of
datum while the part is being turned.
• The difference between the minimum and maximum dial
indicator reading from the beginning to the end while rotating
the surface is the total run out.
Tolerance
Symbols