DATUMS AND THE THREE PLANE CONCEPTS

Training By Kishor Bhatia

Datum

A datum is a point, line, plane, or other

geometrical surface, from which dimensions are measured when so specified, or to which geometrical tolerances are referenced. A datum has an exact form, and represents an exact or fixed

location, for purposes of manufacture or

measurement

Datum Feature
A datum feature is a feature of a part, such as an edge, a surface, or a hole, which forms the basis for a datum, or is used to establish the location of a

datum

Theoretical Datum's
True datums are theoretical as datum features are created by manufacturing. Even these surfaces are not perfect geometrical surfaces, but they are intended to be of sufficiently high

quality that any errors that may introduce are

insignificant in comparison with part tolerances.

DATUMS AND THE THREE PLANE CONCEPT

Geometrical form tolerances such as straightness & flatness refer to unrelated lines and surfaces, do not require use of datums.

Orientation and locational tolerances refer to related

features. Usually only one datum is required for orientation purposes.

DATUMS AND THE THREE PLANE CONCEPT

Positional relationships may require a datum system consisting of two or three datums. These are designated as primary, secondary &

tertiary datums.
These are refer to as three plane datum system/datum reference system when datums are mutually perpendicular surfaces.

Primary Datum

If the primary datum is a flat surface,

theoretically minimum three high spots on the

flat surface will come in contact with the surface of gauge.
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Secondary datum

If the part, while lying on the primary plane, is brought

into contact with the secondary plane, it will
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theoretically touch at minimum of two points.

Tertiary Datum

The part can slide along while maintaining contact with primary & secondary planes till it contacts third plane. The third plane becomes the tertiary datum and theoretically touch at one point.
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DATUMS AND THE THREE PLANE CONCEPT

Three planes constitute a datum system from which measurements can be taken.
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DATUMS AND THE THREE PLANE CONCEPT

IDENTIFICATION OF DATUMS

Datum symbols are required to serve two purposes:

To Indicate the datum surface or feature on the

drawing. To identify the datum features so that it can easily be referred to in other requirements.

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DATUM INDICATOR SYMBOL

It is a solid right-angled triangle, with a leader projecting from the 90 apex. The base of the triangle should be slightly greater than the height of the lettering used on the drawing.
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DATUM IDENTIFICATION SYMBOL

Datum feature is identified by a capital letter placed in a

square frame, and connected to the datum indicator symbol.

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POSITION OF IDENTIFIED DATUMS

Each datum feature must be identified, using a capital letter under the following circumstances; When two or more datum features are associated with the control of a single feature, the datum letter or letters are then placed in the feature control symbol frame by adding an extra compartment for each datum reference. If two or more datum references are involved they must be shown in correct order, i.e. in primary, secondary, and tertiary datums.
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MULTIPLE DATUM FEATURES

If a single datum is established by two datum features, such as two ends of a shaft, the features are each identified by

separate letters.
them.

Both letters are then placed in the same

compartment of the feature control symbol, with a dash between

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