Measurement of Orifice Plate Edge Sharpness

Abstract

A significant factor which affects the accurate prediction of the discharge coefficients of square edged orifice plates is the precise shape of the edge. A rounding of only 0·002 of the orifice diameter can increase the coefficient by 1% so that a reliable method of assessing the edge sharpness is of considerable benefit to the instrument engineer. In the work described in this paper, a systematic intercomparison of three methods of measuring orifice edge sharpness has been undertaken. The methods tested involved casting, lead foil impression and optical techniques, and their relative reliability and effectiveness has been assessed. While the results obtained from the casting and lead foil methods showed good agreement, the foils did not follow the edge profiles as closely as the castings. The casting procedure can also be used to determine the shapes of re-entrant profiles which will not be detected using lead foil impressions. However, the casting method required more skill and considerably more time to complete measurements than the impression method. The optical method proved to be the least reliable, since measurements depended on subjective judgment. Nevertheless, this measuring procedure could be completed more quickly than the others, and these tests indicated that it may be used to examine large diameter plates for burrs or excessive rounding.