Bourdon-tube gauge
Quick Summary
(Left) A U-tube manometer, in which differential pressure is measured as the difference h between the high-pressure reading and the low-pressure reading, multiplied by the density of the liquid in the tube. (Right) A Bourdon-tube gauge, in which a coiled tube, flattened into the cross section shown and attached to a fixed block, is open to a pressurized fluid. The tube straightens slightly under pressure to a degree measured by a pointer.
A Bourdon-tube gauge is an instrument used to measure the pressure of liquids and gases. It works by utilizing a flattened, elastic metal tube bent into a circular arc, known as a Bourdon tube. When the pressure inside this tube increases beyond the external pressure, the tube tends to straighten. This straightening motion is mechanically linked to a pointer, which moves across a calibrated scale to indicate the measured pressure. Invented around 1850, the Bourdon-tube gauge remains a widely used device for measuring a broad range of pressures, from those below atmospheric to as high as 100,000 pounds per square inch.12
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