Chemical Engineering Department

EXPERIMENT NO.

BOURDEN TUBE PRESSURE GAUGE

1 Bourden Tube Pressure Gauge

Chemical Engineering Department

Date: _________
EXPERIMENT NO.:
BOURDEN TUBE PRESSURE GAUGE

AIM : - Study of bourden tube pressure gauge.

DESCRIPTION : -

The purpose of the receiving element is to convert the fluid pressure or

the volumetric expansion in the thermal system into a motion which can be
amplified by mechanical linkage to operate a pen or pointer. The receiving
element in a recording thermometer is always one of the bourden tubes from
figure 1.
The bourden tube is a metal tube with a relatively thin wall bent in the
form of a circle and extending roughly 250 or 300 geometrical degree. The cross-
section of the tube is elliptical when a pressure is applied to inside of the tube.
The cross section deflects toward a more circular form and this causes the tube to
straighten thus moving the tip of the tube. This motion is about 1/8 in and is
nearly proportional to the applied pressure. In order to increase this motion, the
burden tube is often made with several turns, wound in a spiral shape with all
turns at the same diameter as shown in figure. The cross section of the spiral or
helix is made quite flat in order to obtain the maximum motion possible for a
given pressure change. All three forms of the burden tube are used in recording
thermometer and in pressure gauges.
The material commonly used in thermometer spiral or helix are
phosphorus, bronze, beryllium, copper, steel, and stainless steel. The mercury
filled thermometer uses only steel or stainless steel.
In industries pressure thermometer is either an indicating or recording
instrument. It may indicate the temperature by means of a pointer sweeping over
a circular dial or it may record the temperature on a chart or circular form. The
details of the mechanism vary considerably according to the manufacture but
one typical arrangement of a recorder is shown in figure 2. The spiral is fastened
cantilever , at its centre , where the capillary tubing enters. The free end of the
spiral is connected by metal link to an extension on the pen arm. The pen arm is
thus made to move in an area over the chart, in response to movement of the
spiral. Type zero shift for calibration is generally accomplished by rotating the
whole spiral and by moving the pen arm with respect to its shaft. Arrangement is
made by setting the connecting link so as to vary the ratio of spiral movement to
pen movement.

2 Bourden Tube Pressure Gauge