What Does
Profilometer Mean?
A profilometer is a device used to determine the quantitative roughness of a material by measuring the texture, finish and topography of its surface.
Profilometers are used in industrial applications to determine the extent of corrosion on a metal's surface by examining key physical properties of the surface before and after corrosion occurs.
Corrosionpedia Explains Profilometer
Profilometers are used to quantify surface properties such as the curvature, flatness and smoothness of a surface. They are used to measure a wide range of physical characteristics, including:
- Thickness
- Surface roughness
- Volume loss
- High-aspect-ratio features
- Hard-to-reach spaces
- Long stroke profiles
- Thickness of non-transparent materials
Profilometers are useful in hostile environments.
There are two main types of profilometers: stylus and optical. Stylus profilometers use a probe to measure a metal's surface while the latter uses light to measure a metal's surface.