Correlating motif analysis and morphological filters for surface texture analysis

In contrast to the mean-line based evaluation system, motif analysis and morphological filters are two techniques oriented to the characterization of functional properties of surfaces. The motif combination procedure is consistent with the functionality of the morphological closing filter that insignificant peaks on the profile are suppressed. By linking the functionality of the structuring elements with motif combination criterions, morphological envelopes are computed efficiently. Reversely the morphological closing filter coupled with horizontal line-segment structuring elements with lengths equivalent to the motif limits for roughness and waviness provides an alternative for motif analysis. The proposed morphological method has a sound mathematical basis and is stable. An example of applying the empirical motif method (ISO 12085) and the morphological method is demonstrated. The motif parameters resulted from two methods reveal that they coincide with each other. Thus two distinct function oriented methods for surface texture evaluation are technically correlated by mutual exploitation.