Alignment

alignment [ə′līn·mənt]

(archeology)

An arrangement of a single row or of multiple rows of standing stones at a sites formerly occupied by humans.

(civil engineering)

In a survey for a highway, railroad, or similar installation, a ground plan that shows the horizontal direction of the route.

(electronics)

The process of adjusting components of a system for proper interrelationship, including the adjustment of tuned circuits for proper frequency response and the time synchronization of the components of a system.

(engineering)

Placing of surveying points along a straight line.

(mapping)

Representing of the correct direction, character, and relationships of a line or feature on a map.

(mining engineering)

The act of laying out a tunnel or regulating by line; adjusting to a line.

(nuclear physics)

A populationp(m) of the 2I+ 1 orientational substates of a nucleus;m= -Ito +I,such thatp(m) =p(-m).

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alignment

1. An adjustment in a straight line.

2. The theoretical, definitive lines that establish the position of construction (such as a building) or the shape of an individual element (such as a curved or straight beam).

3. In highway and other surveys, the ground plan depicting direction of the route as distinguished from a profile, which shows the vertical element.

4. In prehistoric building, formal alleys of standing stones, as at Carnac in France.

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Alignment 

(in Russian, iustirovka), the aggregate of operations for bringing measuring devices into a condition that ensures the proper functioning of the devices. During alignment, errors that are discovered as a result of the checking or calibration of measuring devices are rectified.

The main alignment operations are as follows: the testing of the condition of a measuring device; the adjustment of the relative position of parts and subassemblies by means of, for example, screws and shims; the elimination of defects by means of grinding, lapping, and honing; and the replacement of individual parts and subassemblies.

The alignment of optical systems consists mainly in the adjustment of the relative position of optical parts—for example, lenses, prisms, and mirrors—in order to align the parts and provide a high image quality. When optical parts are aligned, they are secured by means of screws, pins, or adhesive bonding. The designs of optical systems usually provide for devices that adjust the position of the optical parts and that secure the parts during alignment.

The term “alignment” (iustirovka) is usually employed with respect to measuring instruments, in particular, optomechanical instruments. With respect to machinery, the term “adjustment” (regulirovka) is used more often.