LAMINAR FLOW TABLE APPARATUS

Product Description

Laminar Flow Table is an improvedversion of the classical Heel-Shaw apparatus with the addition of sinks andsources. It consists of two closely spaced sheets of laminated glass, arrangedhorizontally on a glass fiber molding. An inlet tank and discharge tank areincorporated in the molding, which is supported on a floor standing, metalframe.

Three adjustable feet enablerapid leveling off the flow table. Eight miniature tapings, which may be usedas sinks or sources, are arranged about the centre line of the lower glassplate in a cruciform configuration. A doublet is located at the centre of thepattern.

A system of pipes, valves andmanifolds enables any combination of the sinks and sources to be used.

A row of control valves mountedabove the flow table is used to adjust the flow through each individual source.A row of sink control valves is used to adjust the flow through each individualsink.

A row of hypodermic needlesattached to a manifold is positioned between the glass plates at the inletedge. To visualize the flow of water between the glass plates dye is injectedthrough the equally spaced needles. The position of each streamline is clearlyindicated by the dye, which is supplied from a reservoir fitted with a flowcontrol valve.

A black reticule on a whitebackground is printed on the underside of the lower glass plate to aidvisualization of the streamlines.

The patterns created by thepotential flow may be recorded by tracing on the top glass sheet or byphotography if required.

A diffuser in the inlet tank andan adjustable weir plate in the discharge tank help to promote a uniform flowof water. Valves are incorporated in the base of these tanks to aid draining.

The flow of water is controlledby an inlet flow control valve. A pressure regulator reduces the mains waterpressure and helps to minimize variations in flow.

The top glass plate may be raisedat the front edge and retained in this position to enable models to be placedin the working section. A set of models are supplied for basic flow studies.These models are manufactured from plastic sheet and are trapped in therequired position when the top glass plate is lowered.

Alternative models can befabricated from any convenient material and used to investigate the associatedflow patterns. Two-dimensional laminar flow is created between the two glassplates by the combination of low fluid velocity and the narrow gap between theplates