NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

NAME: ____________________________________ DATE:____________________

GROUP # _________________ SECTION: ________________

EXPERIMENT # 3

DETERMINATION OF SPECIFIC GRAVITY AND PRESSURE HEAD USING

MANOMETER

I. OBJECTIVE:
To determine the pressure head using reference fluids other fluids over a
mercury U-tube manometer.

II. APPARATUS:

U-tube manometer Funnel Glass Flask

Mercury Gasoline Oil
Water Carbon tetrachloride Ethyl alcohol

III. THEORY:

A manometer is a device for measuring pressure. This could be atmospheric

pressure, or the pressure of a gas or liquid. One of the most common types of
pressure manometer devices is mercury manometer. A simple mercury manometer
can be made using a length of glass tubing. The tubing is sealed at one end, and
then mercury is placed in the tube such that no air remains at the sealed end of the
tube. The tube is then bent into a U shape, with the sealed end at the top of one
branch of the U,

and the open end at the top of the other branch of the U.
As the mercury in the tube moves to the bottom of the U shape, a vacuum results in
the sealed end of the tube. At this end of the tube, there is no air to produce a
downward pressure on the mercury. The open end of the tube can then be exposed
to the air or gas, the pressure of which is to be measured. The difference in the
height of the mercury in the two sides of the manometer provides the measurement
that can enable the pressure of the gas to be determined.
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

By balancing the forces on each side of the leg, a relationship between pressure
and manometer displacement can be established.

Where: ΔP = pressure difference between the ends of the two legs of manometer.

𝛾 = unit weight of fluid; ρ = density of fluid and g = acceleration due to gravity.

Reference: Fluid Mechanics by Al Shemmeri

And http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-manometer.htm
http://www.efunda.com/formulae/fluids/manometer.cfm

IV. PROCEDURE:
1. Set up the apparatus by placing the funnel on top of one leg of manometer.
2. Place some amount of water/alcohol inside the U-tube manometer.
3. Add considerable amount of the fluid of interest in one leg of the U-tube
manometer.
4. Read the difference in fluid level between the two legs of manometer.
Change in pressure = ΔP = 𝛾h = ρgh
5. Repeat the procedures for three trials by adding or increasing the fluid in
the manometer. Record each fluid level difference.
6. Repeat the aforementioned procedures for different fluids (i.e. Carbon
tetrachloride, gasoline, ethyl alcohol, etc). Record all vertical heights or fluid
deflection in the manometer.
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

V. DATA & RESULTS

RECORDED HEIGHT
FLUIDS TRIAL # 1 TRIAL # 2 TRIAL # 3
OIL
WATER

RECORDED HEIGHT
FLUIDS TRIAL # 1 TRIAL # 2 TRIAL # 3
MOTOR OIL
WATER

RECORDED HEIGHT
FLUIDS TRIAL # 1 TRIAL # 2 TRIAL # 3
GASOLINE
WATER

RECORDED HEIGHT
FLUIDS TRIAL # 1 TRIAL # 2 TRIAL # 3
SOY SAUCE
WATER

SPECIFIC GRAVITY PERCENTAGE ERROR

FLUIDS
OIL
MOTOR OIL
GASOLINE
SOYSAUCE
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

VI. COMPUTATIONS
Apply manometric or summation of pressure head to check the specific
gravity of fluids used in the laboratory.
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

VII. DRAWING:

VIII. OBSERVATION & CONCLUSION:

 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

IX. PICTURES:

GASOLINE

TRIAL 1 TRIAL 2 TRIAL 3

SOY SAUCE

TRIAL 1 TRIAL 2 TRIAL 3

OIL

TRIAL 1 TRIAL 2 TRIAL 3

MOTOR OIL

TRIAL 1 TRIAL 2 TRIAL 3