University of Management and Technology

Sialkot
Mechanical Engineering Department

Course Title: Mechanical Measurement and

Metrology (ME-242)
 Manometer
• A manometer is an instrument used to measure
differential pressure based on the relationship
between pressure and the hydrostatic equivalent
head of fluid.
•It is an instrument used to measure differential
pressure ranging from about 0.001 mm of
manometer fluid to several meters.

• The difference in pressures across the two free

surfaces brings about the offset in the
levels of the manometer liquid
Continue… 2
3
• The U-tube manometer in Figure
consists of a transparent tube filled
with an indicating liquid of specific
weight g . This forms two free
m

surfaces of the manometer liquid.

• The difference in pressures p and p
1 2

applied across the two free surfaces

brings about a deflection, H, in the
level of the manometer liquid.
• For a measured fluid of specific
weight g, the hydrostatic equation
can be applied to the manometer of
Figure. 4
• Static sensitivity of U-tube manometer is

• Instrument uncertainty can be as low as

0.02―0.2% of the reading

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• To maximize manometer sensitivity, we want to choose
manometer liquids that minimize the value of .

• From a practical standpoint the manometer fluid must

not be soluble with the working fluid.

• The manometer fluid should be selected to provide a

deflection that is measurable yet not so great that it
becomes awkward to observe.

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• A variation in the U-tube manometer is the
micromanometer shown in Figure. These
special-purpose instruments are used to
measure very small differential pressures,
down to 0.005 mm H O (0.0002 in. H O).
2 2

• In the micromanometer, the manometer reservoir is

moved up or down until the level of the manometer fluid
within the reservoir is at the same level as a setmark
within a magnifying sight glass. At that point the
manometer meniscus is at the set mark, and this serves
as a reference position.
.

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 Deadweight Tester
• The deadweight tester makes direct use of the
fundamental definition of pressure as a force
per unit area to create and to determine the
pressure within a sealed chamber.

• It consists of a chamber filled with a liquid, and a

carefully machined piston and cylinder. Adjustable
plunger produces oil pressure by compression
• At static equilibrium, the piston will float and
chamber pressure in this condition is
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 Errors Correction in Deadweight Tester

An indicated pressure, p1 , can be corrected for gravity effects, e1, from

Equation 9.6a or 9.6b, and for air buoyancy effects, e2, by
A number of elemental errors contribute to Equation 9.7, including air
buoyancy effects, variations in local gravity, uncertainty in the known mass
of the piston and added masses, shear effects, thermal expansion of the
piston area, and elastic deformation of the piston

Continue… 12
• Deadweight tester is used as a
laboratory standard for calibration of
pressure-measuring devices over the pressure
range: 70—710⁷ N/m2

• When error corrections are applied, the

instrument uncertainty in the chamber
pressure using a dead weight tester can be as
low as 0.005% to 0.01% of the reading.

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Disadvantage
At high pressures, elastic deformation
of the piston affects the actual piston
area. For this reason, the effective
area is based on the average of the
piston and cylinder diameters.
Calibration
A pressure transducer can be connected to a
reference port and calibrated by comparison to
the pressure. For most calibrations, the error
corrections can be ignored.

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