Experiment # 4: Impact of Jet

Objective:
To investigate the reaction force produced by the impact of a jet of water on to various target
vanes.

Procedure:
1. The apparatus required for this experiment was first set on the hydraulic bench called the
“impact of jet apparatus”, where the inlet was connected to the hydraulic bench while the
outlet pipe was placed over the tank of bench.
2. For setting up the target pane, the top lid of the apparatus was unscrewed and removed. A
support stem was present that was used to screw the target pane (flat plate, hemisphere or
conical) and the nozzle of suitable diameter (5mm or 8mm) was placed on the bottom pipe.
The 5mm was used for hemisphere only and the 8mm was used for all the panes (including
hemisphere).
3. After changing the pane, the lid was then screwed again on the top ensuring complete air
tightness to prevent any leakage during operation.
4. The weight carrier had been set to the pointer level using it as the reference point with the
jet turned off.
5. The pump was then switched on and the flowrate valve was adjusted according to the height
of the rotameter till an appropriate reading was obtained (corresponding to the height of
rotameter) and five readings were obtained.
6. The pump was then switched on again, and the control valve of the hydraulic bench had
been opened till the first height. The upward flow pushed the platform to some height
disturbing the pointer from the original position.
7. Weights were added on the top of the plate till it reached the reference height again.
8. The flowrate was measured by the scale of the rotameter and the experiment reaction force
had been obtained by application of load on the carrier.
9. The experiment was repeated for other values of flowrates.
10. After obtaining 5 readings, the pane and the nozzle diameter was changed and the
experiment was performed again.

Results:
Height of target for above nozzle (for flat vane) = h1 = 26 mm
Height of target for above nozzle (for conical vane) = h2 = 26 mm
Height of target for above nozzle (for flat vane) = h3 = 26 mm
 Target Nozzle Q Vn Vi R W ρQV i Slope 1-cos
Vane Dia. (theoretical) (experimental) θ
mm m3s-1 ms-1 ms-1 N N N
(10-4)
1.67 3.322 3.244 0.529 0.491 0.542 0.976
Flat Vane 3.06 6.088 6.046 1.837 1.472 1.850 0.993
θ =90⁰ 8 4.44 8.833 8.804 3.896 2.747 3.909 0.996 1
5.83 11.598 11.576 6.736 4.905 6.749 0.998
7.22 14.364 14.346 10.345 8.829 10.358 0.999
1.67 3.322 3.244 0.155 0.392 0.542 0.286
Conical 3.06 6.088 6.046 0.538 0.981 1.850 0.291
Vane 8 4.44 8.833 8.804 1.141 1.569 3.909 0.292 0.293
5.83 11.598 11.576 1.973 2.551 6.749 0.292
θ =45⁰ 7.22 14.364 14.346 3.029 3.532 10.358 0.292
1.94 9.880 9.854 3.813 2.845 1.912 1.994
Hemisphere 2.22 11.306 11.283 4.999 4.022 2.505 1.996
Vane 5 2.5 12.732 12.712 6.346 4.807 3.178 1.997 2
2.78 14.158 14.139 7.850 6.180 3.931 1.997
θ =180⁰ 3.06 15.584 15.568 9.518 6.867 4.764 1.998

Sample Calculation:
For F lat Vane (θ = 90o)

Q = 1.667 x 10-4 m3s-1

Q 0.0001667 m
= =3.316
Vn = A π s
( 0.008 )2
4
m
√ 2
√ 2
Vi = V n −2 gh= ( 3.316 ) −2 ( 9.81 ) ( 0.026 )=3.2385
s
2
Impact Force = R = ρA V i ( 1−cosθ )=1000 ¿
❑
Impact Momentum = ρQ V i = 1000(0.001667)(3.2385) = 0.5398 N

R 0.5272
Slope = = = 0.9766
ρQ V i 0.5398

1−cos ( 900 ) = 1
Graph:

Impact Force Vs Flow Rate

12

10

8
Impact Force (N)

0
1.67 3.06 4.44 5.83 7.22
Flow Rate (Q) (m3/s)

Flat Vane (R) Conical Vane (R) Flat Vane (W) Conical Vane (W)

Impact Force Vs Flowrate

10
9
8
7
Impact Force (N)

6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1.94 2.22 2.5 2.78 3.05

Flow Rate (Q) (m3/s)

Hemisphere (R) Hemisphere (W)

Discussion:
The results obtained have been displayed in the tabulated form. The table constructed contained
values for target distance, flowrate, nozzle velocity, impact velocity, theoretical and experimental
values of reaction force corresponding to each vane type. Using these values, the value of slope and
(1-cosθ) were calculated.

It was observed that the magnitude of reaction force produced by the fluid flowing through the jet
was dependent upon the angle of vane and the water jet velocity. The order of magnitudes of
Reaction force for each type of vanes was observed as hemisphere >flat plate > conical vane. The
reason for that was the direction of deflection of fluid after the impact. Hemisphere vane directed
the fluid in reverse direction (θ =180⁰) resulting in higher generation of momentum and
consequently larger reaction force. Flat plate directed the flow along the plane surface and no
returning flow was observed. The conical vane on the other hand, scrambled the flow with the
rebounding flow interacting with the incoming flow and thus decreasing the reaction force applied
on the vane.

The slope and (1-cosθ) values for each vane were the measure of efficiency of the vane in causing
the water jet deflection. A higher value of the slope and (1-cosθ) indicated a higher efficiency and
vice versa. The results depict that the flat plate had highest efficiency followed by conical and
hemispherical vane.

Conclusion:
While concluding, the main purpose of this experiment was to calculate the reaction force on
different vane types (hemisphere, flat plate, conical) using a water jet apparatus and observing the
effects of change in flowrates and diameter of the nozzle. The obtained experimental values were
slightly lower than the theoretical ones because of the absence of ideal conditions (absence of
friction, vibrations in the apparatus, incorrect levelling of surface, impurities in the fluid). The
findings could be used in variety of engineering applications related to hydraulics and fluid
mechanics.