Instruction Manual &
Experiment Guide
DEAD WEIGHT
CALIBRATOR
MODEL: ME-FM-3713
HITEC UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
NOTE:
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this manual is accurate;
however no labiality is accepted for errors. Should an error be discovered please inform the
company in writing, giving full details. Any experimental results given are for guidance only and are
not guaranteed as exact answers that can be obtained for a given apparatus.
INTRODUCTION
A dead weight tester apparatus uses known traceable weights to apply pressure to a fluid for
checking the accuracy of readings from a pressure gauge. A dead weight tester (DWT) is a
calibration standard method that uses a piston cylinder on which a load is placed to make an
equilibrium with an applied pressure underneath the piston. Deadweight testers are so called
primary standards which means that the pressure measured by a deadweight tester is defined
through other quantities: length, mass and time. Typically deadweight testers are used in
calibration laboratories to calibrate pressure transfer standards like electronic pressure measuring
devices.
Lab Manuals Prepared By: Asim Malik Lab Assistant Fluid Mechanics Lab
HITEC UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
The mechanism of the gauge is shown in the figure below. A tube, having a thin wall of oval cross
section, is bent to a circular arc encompassing about 270 degrees. It is rigidly held at one end,
where the pressure is admitted to the tube, and is free to move at the other end, which is sealed.
When pressure is admitted, the tube tends to straighten, and the movement at the free end operates
a mechanical system which moves a pointer round the graduated scale – the movement of the
pointer being proportional to the pressure applied. The sensitivity of the gauge depends on the
material and dimensions of the Bourden tube; gauges with a very wide selection of pressure ranges
are commercially available.
FORMULA:
The formula on which the design of a DWT is based basically is expressed as follows :
p = F/A [Pa]
where:
p : reference pressure [Pa]
F : force applied on piston [N]
A : effective area [m2]
HITEC UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
PART IDENTIFICATION:
Piston
Weights
Pressure Gauge
Cylinder
Valve 1 Valve 2
Diameter of piston = 18mm
Mass of piston = 0.5kg
HITEC UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
EXPERIMENT
Aim
To find out pressure with a bourdon tube pressure gauge and compare it with theoretical results.
Procedure:
1. Remove the piston from unit.
2. Close valve V1 and open valve V2.
3. Fill cylinder with oil.
4. Now close valve V2.
5. Put piston back in position with V1 and V2 in close position.
6. Read out pressure value on gauge and compare it with theoretical results.
7. Repeat the experiment by adding weights.
Observations
Sr. # Applied Load Applied Load Area Theoretical Practical
(kg) (N) (m2) Pressure (N/m2) Pressure (N/m2)
1.
2.
3.
4.
HITEC UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
TEACHER’S GUIDE:
Sr. # Applied Load Applied Load Area Theoretical Practical
(kg) (N) (m2) Pressure (N/m2) Pressure (N/m2)
1. 0.5 4.905 2.5447x10-4 19275.366 18275
2. 4.5 44.145 2.5447x10-4 173478.2 169000
Sample Calculation:
P = F/A
A = πd2/4
= π(18x10-3)2 / 4
= 2.5447x10-4 m2
F = 4.5 kg
= 4.5 x 9.81
= 44.145 N
P = F/A
= 44.145 / 2.5447x10-4
= 173478.2 N/m2
Conversion Factor:
1bar = 1x105 Pa
HITEC UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Discussion of Results:
Two different kinds of error may normally expected in a gauge of this type. Firstly, there is a
possibility of hysteresis, friction and backlash which will yield smaller gauge readings when the
pressure is increasing than when it is decreasing. Secondly, there is error due to the scale being
marked off incorrectly. It will be found that this error increases to a maximum of around 2.5% of
the full scale reading. This is acceptably small for many engineering purposes, although gauges with
an error of only 0.5% of the full-scale reading are commercially obtainable.
