Caliper jaw tilt error ($e\simeq h\theta$)

Caliper jaw tilt error is a change in the indicated dimension caused by rotation of a caliper's moving jaw relative to its reference geometry. If a contact lies distance $h$ from the displacement reference, a small rotation $\theta$ gives a signed offset contributionThe sign depends on the direction of rotation and contact geometry. The approximation requires small $|\theta |$; it describes this angular contribution rather than every possible measurement error.

Mitutoyo gives a concrete geometry: a jaw slope of $0.01\mathrm{mm}$ over $50\mathrm{mm}$ and a contact depth of $40\mathrm{mm}$ produce a tip error of $0.008\mathrm{mm}$. Excessive contact force and wear of the guide can cause the moving-jaw rotation.^[ref]

An original diagnostic repeats a gauge block comparison at contact depths $h_1=10\mathrm{mm}$ and $h_2=40\mathrm{mm}$. With stipulated constant $\theta =2\times 10^{-4}\mathrm{rad}$ and other effects unchanged, the angular contributions are approximately $2\mu \mathrm{m}$ and $8\mu \mathrm{m}$. Their $6\mu \mathrm{m}$ difference isolates a depth-dependent effect that a single closed-jaw zero reading could miss. Real contacts may also change force or deformation, so this comparison does not uniquely identify rotation without controls.

A Vernier zero correction removes an estimated constant offset; it cannot generally remove an error proportional to contact depth or varying force. Use consistent light contact, a clean reference and a stable temperature, and compare several separations and contact positions. A fine Vernier scale improves reading increments without guaranteeing that these mechanical contributions are small.

This lever-arm mechanism is distinct from merely projecting a fixed length onto a tilted measurement axis: the latter involves $\cos \theta$ and has a quadratic small-angle change, whereas the offset term above is linear in $\theta$. Keeping the geometry in the measurement model prevents applying the wrong angular correction.