Sweep
Sweep turns up in 3 fields: machine shop, electricians, hydrography. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Sweep in machine shop
To rotate an indicator in the spindle around a bore, boss or circle to find its center or check alignment.
An indicating technique in which the indicator is mounted off-center in the spindle and swung by hand around a feature. Equal readings at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock mean the spindle is centered on a bore or boss; on the table, the same swing checks tram. Sweeping is slower than an edge finder but far more accurate, especially on rough or out-of-round features.
"Sweep the bore and split the difference, the casting's not round enough for the wiggler to tell you anything."
Sweep in electricians
Long-radius conduit elbow, common in underground PVC runs, that makes pulling big or long cables easier.
A sweep is a factory or field-made elbow with a larger radius than a standard bend, often 24 to 48 inches on large conduit. Sweeps cut pulling tension and sidewall pressure on heavy cables and are standard at the foot of risers, in underground duct banks and in communications runs, where fiber and coax have strict minimum bend radii.
"Use 36-inch sweeps coming up out of the duct bank, those 500 kcmil feeders will never pull around standard nineties."
Sweep in hydrography
A search that drags a wire or bar at a set depth to prove an area clear of obstructions to that depth.
A method that proves clearance mechanically rather than by sounding. In a wire drag, a wire held at a set depth by floats and weights is towed between two vessels; if it passes without catching, the area is swept to that depth. Charts mark swept depths with a special symbol because they guarantee nothing rises above them. Sweeping is slow, but it catches pinnacles and masts that acoustic methods can miss.
"Area's swept clear to 11 metres, only one hang near the old pier and the divers cleared it."