Introduction
I have been using a very special ruler for a very long time [Fig.1]. But why is it so special? Well, not only does it have extra layers of accuracy, but the profile has a quite unique geometry when compared to other rules. namely, it's not flat, but it actually has a very peculiar bent shape, almost like a straitened version of the capital Greek letter Omega [Fig. 2]. So modeling this was more of a challenge then a normal ruler, as the dimensions were quite idiosyncratic.
Fig 1: The ruler
Fig. 2: The profile of my ruler
Measuring
The first step was taking out my ruler. Believe it or not, I was able to use my ruler to measure itself! What I did was put my ruler on some engineering paper, trace it's profile[Fig. 3], and then trace the sketch! This process was much more efficient than using another ruler to measure it directly, as I did not have to worry about inaccuracies resulting from the differing tolerances of two rulers and I could utilize the extra accuracy of my ruler.
Fig. 3: Sketch of the ruler
Since I did not have a protractor on hand, I decided to use the x and y components of the lines first, and then utilized Pythagorean theorem to measure find the total length and the inverse tangent to find the angle.
The outer lines were measured to be 4/8 in the inches in the x and 1/5 inches in the y, while the inner lines were measured to be 1/8 inches in the x and 1/4 in the y. The thickness of the profile itself was measured to be 1/16 inches. I was unable to measure the top curve do to it's irregular nature. In addition, the ruler itself had chambers on the four corners of it's base(fig.3), so those were added in to the model (Being measured at 1/8 inch * 45)
Modeling
For modeling, I simply inputed the values in to solidworks and let the program do it's magic. The profile sketch can be seen in Fig.4, and the final model can be seen in fig. 5 (it looks nice when compared to the origional in fig. 6. doesn't it?)
Fig. 4: The profile of the ruler in solidworks
Fig. 5: The ruler in solidworks
Fig. 6: The ruler in real life
What I have learned
I have learned quite a bit from this empirical adventure of mine! I learned how to measure a profile of an object using sketches of itself, I have learned to become more analytic in mechanical design by using cartesian coordinates, and I have learned to explain my engineering work better. All in all, I had a most fantastic time on this project, and it is something that I am very proud of
