Bourdon tube pressure gauge ? operating principle

Bourdon tube pressure gauges are the most regularly used mechanical pressure measuring instruments. Their pressure element is often known as a Bourdon tube: The French engineer Eug�ne Bourdon used this functional principle in the center of the 19th century. It is based on an elastic spring, a c-shaped, bent tube with an oval cross-section.
The result of pressure on a Bourdon tube
When the internal space of the Bourdon tube is pressurised, the cross-section is thus altered towards a circular shape. The hoop stresses that are created in this process raise the radius of the c-shaped tube. Because of this, the end of the tube moves by around two or three millimetres. This deflection is really a measure of the pressure. pressure gauge 10 bar is transferred to a movement, which turns the linear deflection right into a rotary movement and, via a pointer, makes this visible on a scale.
Bourdon tube variants
With the c-shaped bent Bourdon tubes, pressures around 60 bar could be displayed. For higher pressures, helical or spiral-type Bourdon tubes are used. Depending on the geometry, material and material thickness, pressures around 7,000 bar can be realised. Depending on the requirement, the pressure elements are constructed with copper alloys, stainless steels or special materials such as for example Monel.
Note
Further information on Bourdon tube pressure gauges can be found on the WIKA website.