RESULTS

Table 2 Actual Experimental Results

Total Total
mass load Gauge reading Error
including including True
Piston Piston pressure Increasing Decreasing
weight weight Increasing Decreasing
Pressure Pressure
(kg) (kN) (kN/m ) 2 pressure pressure
2
(kN/m ) (kN/m2)
(kN/m2) (kN/m2)

1.00 9.81×10−3 29.5 31 31 1.5 1.5

2.00 19.62×10−3 58.9 59 61 0.1 2.1

3.00 29.43×10−3 88.4 89 90 0.6 1.6

4.00 39.24×10−3 117.8 119 119 1.2 1.2

5.00 49.05×10−3 147.3 150 150 2.7 2.7

SPECIMEN CALCULATION

Selecting 1 set of readings from Table 2

Total mass (m) = 1.00 kg

Force (F) = m g
= 9.81 N = 9.8110−3 kN

d  2

Cross sectional area (A) = 2 = = 333 mm2 = 0.333 10-3 m2

4
4
F
True pressure (P) =
A 9.81 N
= = 29.5 kN/m2
0.333× 10−3 m 2

Gauge reading at increasing = 31 kN/m2

Error in increasing = 31 - 29.5 = 1.5 kN/m2

Gauge reading at decreasing = 31 kN/m2

Error in decreasing = 31 – 29.5 = 1.5 kN/m2

 160 True Pressure Vs Gauge Reading
140

120
Gauge Reading(kN/m2)

100

80

60

40

20

0
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

True Pressure(kN/m2)

Gauge Reading Increasing Pressure Gauge Reading Decreasing Pressure

True Pressure Vs Error

3

2.5

2
Error(kN/m2)

1.5

0.5

0
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

True Pressure(kN/m2)

Error Increasing Pressure Error Decreasing Pressure

Discussion

Two different kinds of error may normally be expected in a gauge of this type. First, there is the
possibility of hysteresis due to friction and backlash, so that the gauge will tend to read lower values
when the pressure is increasing than when decreasing. The gauge tested here has not more than I kN/m
of this kind of error. Secondly, there is the graduation error due to the scale being marked off
incorrectly. In this gauge, the graduation error increases fairly steadily from zero to approximately 4
kN/m at a reading of around 175 kN/m2 . This error, of about 2.3%, would be acceptable small for many
engineering purposes, although Bourdon gauges with a much higher accuracy are available for accurate
work.