BOURDON TUBES

BY Jamer Ian Mustapha

Gilbert Perez

Introduction
Invented by Eugene
Bourdon in the year
1849.
Bourdon tubes are an
elastic type pressure
transducer.
Used for very high
range pressure
measurement of
almost 1,000,000 Psi

Working Principle
The cross-sectional of the Bourdon
tubing when deformed in any way
will tend to regain its circular form
under the action of pressure.

TYPES OF BOURDON
TUBE

C-Type Bourdon tube

The C-shaped Bourdon tube has a hollow,
elliptical cross section. It is closed at one end and
is connected to the fluid pressure at the other
end. When pressure is applied, its cross
section becomes more circular, causing the
tube to straighten out.

Spiral type Bourdon tube

Bourdon tubes also may be made in the form of a spiral
uses a long length of flattened tubing to provide increased tip
travel. This does not change the operating principle of the
Bourdon tube, but produces tip motion equal to the sum of
the individual motions that would result from each part of the
spiral considered as a C-shape. Small-diameter spirals can be
manufactured to provide enough motion to drive the
indicating pointer directly through an arc up to 270 without
having to use a multiplying movement. Alternatively, they
may be manufactured to be used in conjunction with a
multiplying movement. In this case, the required motion is
distributed over several turns, resulting in lower stress in the
Bourdon material. This improves fatigue life when compared
to a C-shaped Bourdon tube in the same pressure range.

Helical type Bourdon tube

Another mechanical high pressure sensor uses a
helical Bourdon element . This device may include
as many as twenty coils and can measure pressures
well in excess of 10,000 psig. The standard element
material is heavy-duty stainless steel, and the
measurement error is around 1% of span. Helical
Bourdon tube sensors provide high over range
protection and are suitable for fluctuating pressure
service, but must be protected from plugging. This
protection can be provided by high-pressure, button
diaphragm-type chemical seal elements.

ADVANTAGES OF BOURDON TUBE PRESSURE

GAUGES:
These Bourdon tube pressure gauges give accurate
results.
Bourdon tube cost low.
Bourdon tubes are simple in construction.
They can be modified to give electrical outputs.
They are safe even for high pressure measurement.
Accuracy is high especially at high pressures.
Their greatest advantage is that they are easily
adapted for designs for obtaining electrical outputs.

LIMITATIONS OF BOURDON TUBE

PRESSURE GAUGES:
They respond slowly to changes in pressure.
They are subjected to hysteresis.
They are sensitive to shocks and vibrations.
Amplifications is a must as the displacement
of the free end of the bourdon tube is low.
It cannot be used for precision measurement.

REFERENCE
John (2011). Bourdon Tube. Retrieved from
http
://www.instrumentationtoday.com/bourdontube/2011/09
/
Wikipedia (2015). Pressure measurement.
Retrieved from https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_measureme
nt#Bourdon
Blogger.com (2011). Bourdon Tube Pressure
Gauge. Retrieved from
http://instrumentationandcontrollers.blogs