Armfield Instruction Manual
the raised position so that water can return to the sump tank from the volumetric tank
(A twist of 90° at the actuator will retain the dump valve in the open position).
Release the castor brakes and move the bench to the required operating position
within reach of the electricity supply.
Attach the flexible feed pipe to the quick release connector on the water inlet in the
bed of channel. The free end of the feed pipe should be positioned in the stilling
baffle of the volumetric tank. Close the flow control valve.
The equipment requires connection to a single phase fused electrical supply. A 4m
length of cable is supplied with the equipment. The electrical requirements of the
different versions are described in
.
Connect the equipment to the electrical supply, ensuring that the label fitted to the
mains lead on the equipment matches the electrical supply. Switch on the RCD then
press the TEST button to check that the RCD is operating correctly. The RCD must
trip.
Switch on the RCD again.
Operate the pump ON/OFF switch then slowly open the flow control valve and check
that water is delivered to the volumetric tank via the flexible feed pipe.
When the pipework has fully primed and water is flowing steadily into the volumetric
tank, release the actuator of the dump valve to seal the aperture in the bottom of the
volumetric tank. Allow the volumetric tank to fill until water returns to the sump tank
through the overflow. Now check that the sight tube is full and no air bubbles are
present. Repeat this filling operation a number of times, ensuring that the sight tube
is free from air bubbles.
Adjust the water level in the volumetric tank until the surface is level with the step in
the bottom of the tank. A few drops of wetting agent smeared onto the step will
enable an accurate level to be achieved.
If necessary, slacken the securing screws at the top and bottom of the sight tube
scale and position the scale so that the meniscus of the fluid in the tube is level with
the black datum line engraved between the lower and upper scales. This will ensure
that the scale is positioned correctly for volumetric measurements using the low or
high ranges.
The hydraulics bench is now ready for use.
Installing the Software
Software is available for all accessories designed for use with the F1-10 Hydraulics
Bench. Once the experimental data is entered, the software will perform the
calculations required by the experiments presented in the accessory teaching
manual, reducing the time required to complete the experiments and freeing student
study time that would otherwise have been spent performing repetitive calculations.
The software for each accessory includes a
Questions
section, designed to test a
student’s knowledge of the theory being demonstrated with that accessory. Some
calculations may be hidden until the student has answered the questions (in order to
prove that they can correctly perform the calculations themselves). A
Lecturer Mode
has been provided which avoids the requirement to complete the questions section.
Should the lecturer wish to demonstrate the equipment, or to test the students in an
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