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MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMME

FRICTION LOSS ALONG A PIPE
SAFETY REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS
Students performing experimental work in the Engineering laboratory must follow and
abide by the following safety regulations and guidelines. Students must complete a safety
declaration form before they are allowed to work in the laboratory.
GENERAL

Students are not allowed to enter the laboratory without the permission of the
lecturer or laboratory assistant.
Unauthorized experimental work in the laboratory is strictly
forbidden.
Prior to the use of laboratory out of timetabled periods, students must apply for
usage from relevant laboratory staff.
Students are not allowed to work alone in the
laboratory.
Bags and books must not be left on benches or on stools and should be
placed in designated area. Do not block passageways or fire exits.
All working spaces must always be kept
clean.
Long hair, ties, jewellery and clothing must never be allowed to hang loose, since
any of these items can easily become entangled in the moving parts of machinery,
and hence cause serious injury.
Suitable clothing must be worn; long trousers or jeans are recommended for
boys and dresses, slacks or jeans for girls. In particular, sleeveless t-shirts and
sleeveless blouses are prohibited.
Students must wear covered footwear during laboratory and workshop sessions.
Sandals, open-toed shoes, slippers or similar footwear are prohibited. Students
may be refused entry to the laboratory or workshop if not in proper footwear.
Storage and/or consumption of food and drink, smoking and the application of
cosmetics in the laboratory are not allowed.
Indiscipline in the laboratory or workshop (e.g. whistling, horseplay etc.) will
not be tolerated.
No reagent, solution or apparatus is to be removed from the laboratory without
approval from the lecturer.
Do not pour waste down the sink unless authorized to do so by your
lecturer.
Defective equipment or broken glassware must be reported to the lecturer or lab
assistant.
Do not run in the laboratory or along corridors. Exercise care when opening and
closing doors on entering and leaving the laboratory.
Laboratory doors must be kept closed at all times during practical
4

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classes.

OBJECTIVES
The aims of the experiments are to demonstrate the change in the law of resistance (the
relationship between total head loss along the pipe, i and the velocity of flow, u and to
establish the critical Reynolds number. This experiment aim to measure i in the laminar
region is used to find the coefficient of viscosity and measurements in the turbulent region is
used to find the friction factor f. Compare the friction factor obtained from the experiment
with the Blasius's equation.
Design and perform an experiment to cater for the aims of the experiment. It should be noted
that two types of flow regimes will be apparent and as such, readings should comfortably
cover the whole of the laminar region and the transition to turbulent flow. Present the results
obtained in an appropriate format accounting for any errors (if suitable).
INTRODUCTION
The frictional resistance to which fluid is subjected as it flows along a pipe results in a
continuous loss of energy or total head of the fluid.
Fig. 1 shows the arrangement in which water from a supply tank is led through a flexible hose
to the bell-mouthed entrance to a straight tube along which the frictional loss is measured.
Piezometer tapping are made at an upstream section which lies approximately 45 tube
diameters away from the pipe entrance, and at a downstream section which lies
approximately 40 tube diameters away from the pipe exit. These clear lengths upstream and
downstream of the test section are required to prevent the results form being affected by
disturbances near the entrance and exit of the pipe. The piezometer tapping are connected to
an inverted U-tube manometer, which reads the differential pressure directly in mm of water,
or a U-tube which reads in mm of mercury. The rate of flow along the pipe is controlled by a
needle valve at the pipe exit, and is measured by timing the collection of water in a measuring
cylinder (the discharge being so small as to make the use of the Hydraulic Bench weighing
tank impracticable).

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Fig. 1: Diagrammatic Arrangement of Apparatus for Measuring Friction Loss along a

Pipe.

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APPARATUS
1) Stop Watch.
2) Volumetric Hydraulic Bench.
3) Friction Loss along a pipe.
Useful Data:
Length of pipe between piezometer tapping, I

524 mm

Nominal diameter of pipe, D

3 mm

Cross-section area of pipe

7.06 mm2

REFERENCES:
1. Mechanics of Fluids. Massey, BS, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1989
2. Fluid Mechanics, White F M, McGraw-Hill, 3rd Ed. 1994
3. An Album of Fluid Motion, Van Dyke M. Parabolic Press, 1982.
4. Chemical Engineering Volume 1, Coulson & Richardson, Butterworth-Heinemann