MECH 220 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY I

Experiment B
Pressure Measurement
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this experiment is to demonstrate different pressure measurement
methods. Pressure measurement operations will be conducted by using U-tube and inclined
tube manometers. Bourdon tube manometer will be calibrated by using dead weight piston
gauge.
THEORY
Pressure is a very important characteristic of a fluid. It is represented as a force per
unit area. There are numerous devices and techniques that are used in pressure
measurement. The pressure at a point within a fluid mass will be designated as either an
absolute pressure or a gage pressure. Figure 1 illustrates the absolute and gage pressures.
Absolute pressure refers to the absolute value of the force per unit area exerted on the
containing wall by a fluid. Gage pressure represents the difference between the absolute
pressure and the local atmospheric pressure. A gage pressure of zero corresponds to a
pressure that is equal to the local atmospheric pressure. It is resulted as, absolute pressures
are always positive but gage pressures can be either positive or negative. Vacuum represents
the amount by which the atmospheric pressure exceeds the absolute pressure. A negative
gage pressure is also referred to as vacuum pressure.

Figure 1. Graphical representation of absolute and gage pressure.

The standard SI unit for pressure is the Newton per square meter (N/m2) or Pascal
(Pa). In the imperial system, pressure is usually expressed in pounds per square inch (psi).
Pressure can also be expressed as the height of a column of liquid. Then, the units will refer
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to the height of the column and also the liquid in the column must be noted. At standard
atmospheric pressure, the height is 760 mm of mercury (760 mmHg). Most commonly used
units for pressure are,

1 = 1.01325 105 2 = 760

1 2 = 1

1 = 105 2 = 100

1 = 133.322 2 = 133.322

One type of a manometer which is widely used consists of a tube formed into the
shape of a U. The difference between the unknown pressure and the atmospheric pressure
is determined as a function of the differential height . Figure 2 shows a schematic of U
tube manometer.

Figure 2. U-tube manometer.

The pressure can be written in terms of the column heights as,

=

(1)

Manometers can be oriented in an inclined position to lengthen the scale and to

improve readability. These types of manometers are used to measure small pressure changes.
Note that, in inclined manometers, vertical distances between the fluid levels must be
considered to measure pressure difference.
Bourdon pressure gage is one of the most commonly used devices. It operates on a
principle that when pressure acts on an elastic structure, the structure will deform, and this
deformation can be related to the magnitude of the pressure. The essential mechanical
element in this gage is the hollow, elastic curved tube which is connected to the pressure
source. As the pressure within the tube increases the tube tends to straighten, this
deformation translated into the motion of a pointer on a dial. A zero reading on the gage
indicates that the measured pressure is equal to the atmospheric pressure.

EXPERIMENTATION
Test Set-up
The experimental set-up is composed of two units for two sets of experiments. The
first unit is for measuring pressure by using manometers which is shown in Figure 3. It has
two manometers one of which is inclined. The inclination angle is given as 60 o. The fluid in
the U-tube manometer is water, and in the inclined U-tube manometer is water mixed with
ink. Second unit is also shown in Figure 3 which is used to calibration by using load weights.

First unit
1. U-tube manometer
2. Dial manometer
3. Inclined manometer
Second unit
4. Bourdon tube manometer
5. Piston
6. Dead weights

Figure 3. Schematic of the experimental setup.

Table 1 shows some important parameters of the test set-up that are needed in the analysis.
Table 1. Some parameters about the test set-up.

Parameter
Density of the fluid in manometers
Inclination angle of the inclined manometer
Diameter of the piston
Weight of the carrier
Uncertainty in electronic scale
Uncertainty in Bourdon gage

Value
Density of water
60o
12 mm
519 g
0.05
0.025

Procedure
For the first unit,
1. Check if the U-tube manometer is open to the atmosphere through the blue hose (i.e. the
level of the fluid in the manometer is the same for both sides).
2. Connect the syringe to the small white hose which is connected to one side of the U-tube
manometer by the blue hose.
3. Apply a certain pressure with the help of the syringe. For the first step, this certain
pressure should be equal to 5 ml difference on the syringe.
4. Read the level of the fluid in the U-tube manometer.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for 6 times.
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6. Change the applied pressure to 2 ml difference on the syringe and repeat the same
procedure.
7. Check if the inclined U-tube manometer is also open to the atmosphere through a blue
hose.
8. Remove the small white hose from the U-tube manometer and place it through the blue
hose which is connected to the inclined U-tube manometer.
9. Repeat steps 3 to 6.
For the second unit,
10. Rotate the piston arm to balance the carrier on the piston.
11. Read the corresponding value from the Bourdon gage.
12. Measure the masses of the load weights by using an electronic scale provided to you.
13. Place the smallest weight onto the piston and read the corresponding value from the
Bourdon gage.
14. Start placing the three of the larger weights one by one on the piston and read every
change from the Bourdon gage.
Analysis
1. Estimate the mean values and associated uncertainties of your readings for both
manometers.
2. Compare the results from U-tube and inclined U-tube manometers for the same
pressures.
3. Calculate the pressures caused by the weights by using the equation for pressure with the
associated uncertainties.
4. Draw the measured pressure vs calculated pressure for the Bourdon gage. Show the
uncertainties as error bars on the graph.
CAUTION!
The experiment will be conducted in the Heat Transfer Laboratory in the Lab Building.
You will have only 40 minutes to complete the experiment.

Name:

Group No:

Date:

MECH 220 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY I

EXPERIMENT B
PRESSURE MEASUREMENT Data Sheet
Table 1. Fluid levels in U-tube manometer.

Fluid Level (mm)

(5 ml difference)

Fluid Level (mm)

(5 ml difference)

Fluid Level (mm)

(2 ml difference)

Fluid Level (mm)

(2 ml difference)

1
2
3
4
5
6
Table 2. Fluid levels in inclined U-tube manometer.

Fluid Level (mm)

(5 ml difference)

Fluid Level (mm)

(5 ml difference)

Fluid Level (mm)

(2 ml difference)

Fluid Level (mm)

(2 ml difference)

1
2
3
4
5
6
Table 3. Pressure and mass values from the second unit of the experiment.

Pressure (bar)
(Bourdon Gage Reading)
1
2
3
4
5
6

Mass (g)