TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

EXPERIMENT IN

ME 5L
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY I

Submitted by:
BOCITO, RAVEN S.
BSME 4A

Submitted to:
Engr. Manuel L.Europeo

Experiment No. 6

CALIBRATION OF THERMOMETER
Course Code: ME 5L
Course Title: Mechanical Engineering
Laboratory I
Section: BSME 4A
Members: 1. Bocito, Raven S.
2. Montas, ReinierKarlo
D.L.
3. Paez, Meynard L.
4. Talay, Ivan Gil D .

Date Performed: September 30, 2016

Date Submitted: October 4, 2016
Instructor: Engr. Manuel L. Europeo

1. Objectives
1 To determine the difference between the thermometer that we use.
2 To measure the temperature of the boiling water using the different
kinds of thermometer.
3 To compare the accuracy of the various temperature measuring
devices.
4 To have the knowledge to read this kind of thermometer
5 To be familiar with the use of the thermometer that we use.

2. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

The students shall be able to:
2.1 Identify the measures of the boiling water using this thermometer
2.2 Discuss the information about thermometer and providing proper
guidelines on operating the device for best results obtainable.
2.3 Identify the results weve taken.

3. DISCUSSION
3.1 MERCURIAL THERMOMETER

The mercury-in-glass or mercury thermometer was invented by

physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in Amsterdam (1714). It consists of a bulb
containing mercury attached to a glass tube of narrow diameter; the volume of
mercury in the tube is much less than the volume of the bulb. The volume of
mercury changes slightly with temperature; the small change in volume drives
the narrow mercury column a relatively long way up the tube. The space above
the mercury may be filled with nitrogen or it may be at less than atmospheric
pressure, a partial vacuum.
In order to calibrate the thermometer, the bulb is made to reach thermal
equilibrium with a temperature standard such as an ice/water mixture, and then
with another standard such as water/vapour, and the tube is divided into
regular intervals between the fixed points. In principle,thermometers made of
different material (e.g., coloured alcohol thermometers) might be expected to
give different intermediate readings due to different expansion properties; in
practice the substances used are chosen to have reasonably linear expansion
characteristics as a function of true thermodynamic temperature, and so give
similar results.
Mercury Thermometers cover a wide temperature range from 37 C
(34.6 F) to 356 C (672.8 F), the instruments upper temperature range may
be extended though the introduction of an inert gas such as Nitrogen. This
introduction of an inert gas increases the pressure on the liquid Mercury and
therefore its boiling point is increased, this in combination with replacing the

Pyrex Glass with Fused Quartz allows the upper temperature range to be
extended to 800 C (1472 F).
Mercury cannot be used below the temperature at which it becomes solid,
38.83 C (37.89 F). If the thermometer contains nitrogen, the gas may flow
down into the column when the mercury solidifies and be trapped there when
the temperature rises, making the thermometer unusable until returned to the
factory for reconditioning. To avoid this, some weather services require that all
mercury-in-glass thermometers be brought indoors when the temperature falls
to 37 C (34.6 F).
To measure lower meteorological temperatures, a thermometer containing a
mercury-thallium alloy which does not solidify until the temperature drops to
61.1 C (78 F) may be used.

3.2

VAPOR PRESSURE THERMOMETER

A vapour
pressure
thermometer is
a thermometer that
uses
[1]
a pressure gauge to measure the vapour pressure of a liquid. basically
handheld devices and uses gas having large entropy wherein the pressure of
the gas is converted to temperature by means of a bourden gauge which
represents temperature over calibrated scale having cramped rulings.
The vapor pressure of a liquid is the pressure under which a liquid is in
equilibrium with its vapor phase. the vapor pressure is a function of the
temperature of the liquid in question. At a temperature corresponding
pressure. At the temperature increase is an increase in the transition from liquid
to gas, a state of equilibrium is created between liquid and vapor, as well as the
pressure has increased. These thermometers are very sensitive but the scale is
not linear. The measurement accuracy is 1%. The typical temperature range is

from - 20 C to 280 C depending on the nature of the gaz (Butane propane,

ammonia...).

3.3

BIMETALLIC THERMOMETER

Bimetallic thermometers are made up of bimetallic strips formed by

joining two different metals having different thermal expansion coefficients.
Basically, bimetallic strip is a mechanical element which can sense temperature
and transform it into a mechanical displacement. This mechanical action from
the bimetallic strip can be used to activate a switching mechanism for getting
electronic output. Also it can be attached to the pointer of a measuring
instrument or a position indicator. Various techniques such as riveting, bolting,
fastening can be used to bond two layers of diverse metals in a bimetallic strip.
However the most commonly used method is welding. Since two metals are
employed to construct a bimetallic strip, hence they are named so.
The working of a bimetallic strip thermometer is based upon the fact that
two dissimilar metals behave in a different manner when exposed to
temperature variations owing to their different thermal expansion rates. One

layer of metal expands or contracts more than the other layer of metal in a
bimetallic strip arrangement which results in bending or curvature change of
the strip. The working principle of a bimetallic thermometer is illustrated in
figure below. One end of a straight bimetallic strip is fixed in place. As the strip
is heated, the other end tends to curve away from the side that has the greater
coefficient of linear expansion.

3.4

TEMPERATURE MEASURING BENCH

This temperature measurement bench is a complete, free standing

apparatus to demonstrate fundamental temperature measuring techniques
using thermocouples, mercury in glass thermometer, resistance temperature
detector (RTD) and bimetallic temperature indicator.
3.5

ALCOHOL THERMOMETER

The alcohol thermometer is an alternative to the mercury-in-glass

thermometer and has similar functions. Unlike the mercury-in-glass

thermometer, the contents of an alcohol

thermometer are less toxic and will
evaporate away fairly quickly. The ethanol
version is the most widely used due to the
low cost and relatively low hazard posed
by the liquid in case of breaking
An organic liquid is contained in a glass
bulb which is connected to a capillary of
the same glass and the end is sealed with an expansion bulb. The space above
the liquid is a mixture of nitrogen and the vapor of the liquid. For the working
temperature range, the meniscus or interface between the liquid is within the
capillary. With increasing temperature, the volume of liquid expands and the
meniscus moves up the capillary. The position of the meniscus shows the
temperature against an inscribed scale.
The liquid used can be pure ethanol, toluene, kerosene or Isoamyl acetate,
depending on manufacturer and working temperature range. [1] Since these
are transparent, the liquid is made more visible by the addition of a red or
blue dye. One half of the glass containing the capillary is usually enameled
white or yellow to give a background for reading the scale.
The range of usefulness of the thermometer is set by the boiling point of the
liquid used. In the case of the ethanol-filled thermometer the upper limit for
measurement is 78 C (172 F), which makes it useful for measuring day and
night-time temperatures and to measure body temperature, although not for
anything much hotter than these.

Ethanol-filled thermometers are used in preference to mercury

for meteorological measurements of minimum temperatures and can be used
down to 70 C (-94 F).[2] The physical limitation of the ability of a
thermometer to measure low temperature is the freezing point of the liquid
used. Ethanol freezes at 114.9 C (174.82 F). If an alcohol thermometer
utilizes a combination of ethyl alcohol, toluene, and pentane, its lower
temperature range may be extended to measure temperatures down to as low
as 200 C (-328 F).[3] However, the measurement temperature range c.
200 C to 78 C, is highly dependent upon the type of alcohol used.

3.6

STRIP THERMOMETER

The strips have a fixed end and a

free end. The principle behind the
mechanism of a bimetallic thermometer
pair of strips bend at the free end when
temperature changes, and one of the
strips expands more than the other.
Bimetallic strips typically use a low
thermal expansion alloy, such as Invar,
and a high thermal expansion alloy, such
as steel or stainless steel.

is that the
the

Bimetallic strip thermometers are

constructed in two ways. The first
method is a spiral strip, which
involves coiling the bimetallic
strip into a spiral that is attached to a dial that shows the temperature. The
second method of constructing this thermometer is through a cantilever strip,
which uses deflection to indicate temperature. The bimetallic strips are closely
bonded together in a cantilever.
Bimetallic thermometers are often used to measure and control temperature in
thermostats. The main advantage of using bimetallic strips is that a power
source is not necessary. Moreover, they are sturdy, affordable and easy to use.
However, they are not quite exact, and they do not function well at very low
temperatures. Also, they cannot be used in applications where manual reading
is not acceptable.

3.7

INFRARED THERMOMETER

An infrared thermometer is a thermometer which infers temperature from

a portion of the thermal radiation sometimes called blackbody radiation emitted
by the object being measured. They are sometimes called laser
thermometers as a laser is used to help aim the thermometer, or non-contact
thermometers or temperature guns, to describe the device's ability to measure
temperature from a distance. By knowing the amount of infrared energy
emitted by the object and its emissivity, the object's temperature can often be
determined. Infrared thermometers are a subset of devices known as "thermal
radiation thermometers".
Sometimes, especially near ambient temperatures, readings may be
subject to error due to the reflection of radiation from a hotter bodyeven the
person holding the instrumentrather than radiated by the object being
measured, and to an incorrect assumed emissivity. The design essentially
consists of a lens to focus the infrared thermal radiation on to a detector, which
converts the radiant power to an electrical signal that can be displayed in units
of temperature after being compensated for ambient temperature. This permits
temperature measurement from a distance without contact with the object to
be measured. A non-contact infrared thermometer is useful for measuring
temperature under circumstances where thermocouples or other probe-type
sensors cannot be used or do not produce accurate data for a variety of
reasons.

4. Materials
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

WATER BATH
BEAKER
INFRARED THERMOMETER
MERCURIAL THERMOMETER
ALCOHOL THERMOMETER
STRIP THERMOMETER
BIMETALLIC THERMOMETER

h.
i.
j.
k.

VAPOR PRESSURE THERMOMETER

TEMPERATURE MEASURING BENCH
ELECTIC STOVE
1 LITER OF WATER

5. Procedures (BASIC OPERATING PRINCIPLE)

First, ready the devices that we need to use in this experiment. Take a
beaker filled with 1liter water. Put the water in the water bath with stirrer then
put the different kinds of measuring temperature devices. After that turn on the
electric stove to heating the water bath. Wait until it reach the boiling point of
the water then measure the temperature of the water first with infrared
thermometer. After it reaches 100 c* , read the other devices then list its
temperature reading. After compare the reading of each temperature
measuring devices.
6. DATA AND RESULTS

Temperature
measuring
devices

Time

Temperature

a. MERCURIAL
THERMOMET
ER

10 mins

100 C

b. ALCOHOL
THERMOMET

10 mins

102 C

ER
c. STRIP
THERMOMET
ER

10 mins

88 C

d. VAPOR
PRESSURE
THERMOMET
ER

10 mins

84 C

e. BIMETALLIC
THERMOMET
ER

10 mins

97 C

7. Documentation

8. ANALYSIS AND DATA INTERPRETATION

9. OBSERVATION

10.

CONCLUSION