Plastigauge is a measuring tool used for measuring

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clearances, such as in

engines An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

. Other uses include marine

drive shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power (physics), power, torque, and rotation, usually ...

bearings,

turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced can be used for generating electrical ...

housing bearings,

pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes Slurry, slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic or pneumatic energy. Mechanical pumps serve in a wide range of application ...

and

pressure system A pressure system is a peak or lull in the sea level pressure distribution, a feature of synoptic-scale weather. The surface pressure at sea level varies minimally, with the lowest value measured and the highest recorded . High- and low-pre ...

bearings, shaft end-float, flatness and clearance in

pipe Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circular ...

- flanges and

cylinder heads In a piston engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders, forming the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines the head is a simple plate of metal containing the spark plugs and possibly heat dissipation fins. In more modern ov ...

. Wherever it is required to determine the separation between hidden surfaces. Plastigauge is a

registered trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a product or service from a particular source and distinguishes it from ot ...

of Plastigauge Ltd.,

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United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Plastigauge was introduced to US retail sales in 1948. Plastigauge consists of a strip of soft material with precise known

dimensions In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a mathematical space (or object) is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus, a line has a dimension of one (1D) because only one coordi ...

and deformation characteristics. This is sandwiched between a clean bearing surface on a shaft and the bearing shell itself. The plastigauge flattens after the bearing cap is tightened. The dimensional clearance is then determined by comparing the amount that the gauge material has flattened using a

template Template may refer to: Tools * Die (manufacturing), used to cut or shape material * Mold, in a molding process * Stencil, a pattern or overlay used in graphic arts (drawing, painting, etc.) and sewing to replicate letters, shapes or designs C ...

. Letter designation describes the range of measurement use for each gauge.

References

External links

Manufacturers websiteUSA distributor websiteRUSSIA distributor websitePlastigauge in useКак пользоваться plastigage
Dimensional instruments {{tool-stub