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Fluid Pressure
]
Pressure at some point within a fluid, such as
water or air. A fluid is a substance that flows easily.
Gases and liquids are fluids, although sometimes the
dividing line between liquids and solids is not always
clear. Because of their ability to flow, fluids can
exert buoyant forces, multiply forces in hydraulic
systems, and allow aircraft to fly and ships to float.

Fluid pressure occurs in one of two situations:

1. An open condition, such as the ocean, a swimming pool

2. A closed condition, such as a water line or a gas line.

Applications of Fluid Pressure:

Used in Brakes - fluid are used in the brakes in your car. The force applied on the brake
pedal is multiplied on the brake drums. Another use is to jack up a heavy item, like a truck.

Used by Airplanes - The wing of an airplane is usually curved on top and flat on the bottom.
This shape is called the airfoil. When the air moves over the curved top portion of the
wing or airfoil, it speeds up because of the shape. This lowers the pressure with respect
to the bottom part of the wing. Lower pressure on the top results in the lift required to
keep the airplane aloft.

Used as Lubricants - The reduction of friction of two solids can then be achieved by
separating them by a layer of a fluid, so the solid surfaces are not in direct contact. This
is called lubrication. Water can be used as a lubricant, but it also evaporates quickly. Oils
are typically used to lubricate parts and prevent friction, as well as excessive wear from
the friction. In some small, high-speed parts, such as the hard-drive of your computer,
air is used as a lubricant.
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Devices used to Measure Fluid Pressure

A. Manometer - An instrument for the pressure. The amount of displacement of the

liquid is a measure of the magnitude of the pressure. A U-shaped
A. glass tube partially filled with water or mercury, one side of which
is connected to the source.

B. McLeod gauge - A vacuum pressure gauge, devised by

Herbert McLeod (1841–1923), in which a relatively large volume of
a low-pressure gas is compressed to a small volume in a glass
apparatus. The volume is reduced to an extent that causes the
pressure to rise sufficiently to support a column of fluid high
enough to read. This simple device, which relies on Boyle's law, is
suitable for measuring pressures in the range 10 3 to 10 −3 Pascal.
C. Aneroid gauges - Can be used to measure the pressure B.
of a liquid as well as a gas, and they are not the only type of gauge
that can operate without fluid. Are based on a metallic pressure
sensing element which flexes elastically under the effect of a
pressure difference across the element.

C.
D. Bourdon Gauge - Instrument for measuring pressure, patented
by French watchmaker Eugène Bourdon in 1849. The gauge contains
a C-shaped tube, closed at one end. When the pressure inside the
tube increases, the tube uncurls slightly, causing a small movement
at its closed end. A system of levers and gears magnifies this
pointer, which indicates the pressure on a circular scale.
Bourdon gauges are often fitted to cylinders of compressed gas used in industry and hospitals.

D.
E. Bellows Pressure Gauge - is used to determine
vapour pressure. This is calibrated on the basis of
a U-shaped oil pressure gauge. These are made
by forming thin-wall tubing. To obtain a reasonable
fatigue life and motion that is more linear with
pressure, a coil spring supplements the inherent
spring rate of the bellows. These spring-loaded
bellow gauges are generally used in pressure ranges
having spans to 100 psi and to 1 in. Hg. This consists of an ash croft pressure gauge that is used
for measuring low-pressure form 10 H2O to 10 psi.
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D.

E. Ionization gauges - are the most sensitive gauges for very low
pressures (also referred to as hard or high vacuum). They
E. sense pressure indirectly by measuring the electrical ions
produced when the gas is bombarded with electrons. Fewer
ions will be produced by lower density gases.

F. Piston Gauge - counterbalance the pressure of a fluid with a solid

weight or a spring. Another name for piston gauge is
deadweight tester.
F.

G. Liquid Column Gauges - consist of a vertical column of

liquid in a tube whose ends are exposed to different
pressures. The column will rise or fall until its weight is in
equilibrium with the pressure differential between the two
ends of the tube. A very simple version is a U-shaped tube
half-full of liquid, one side of which is connected to the region of interest while the reference
pressure---- which might be the atmospheric pressure or a vacuum, is applied to the other.

G.
H. Pirani Gauge - is a robust thermal conductivity gauge used
for the measurement of the pressures in vacuum
systems. It was invented in 1906 by Marcello Pirani.

H.
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