Abstract
A finite element program has been developed for the elastic analysis of Bourdon tubes used in both pressure and temperature sensing. The theory developed succeeds in enabling the three-dimensional Bourdon tube to be treated as a two-dimensional problem, by assuming that material properties and geometry do not change in one direction.
The program was applied to several Bourdon tubes. Results for end-deflection data given by Bourdon tube manufacturers are compared with the finite-element-program results. These agree to within 10%. Also, stress patterns for two temperature Bourdon tubes are presented; one with edge grooves and one without. The post-processing showed that reduction in the level of stresses can be achieved by incorporating edge grooves. The use of such a model for Bourdon tube design is discussed briefly.
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