Page 2 – All Sensors | Put the Pressure on Us

Bite Force Pressures

Welcome to All Sensors “Put the Pressure on Us” blog. This blog brings out pressure sensor aspects in a variety of applications inspired by headlines, consumer and industry requirements, market research, government activities, and you.

Bite Force Pressures

You may have heard or read about or even seen the video of a caged male lion biting off the finger of a Jamaican zookeeper who put his hand through the cage’s fencing. While there are many responses that an event like this can trigger, a technical one is “how much bite force does a lion have?” Depending on their age, size and gender, a lion’s bite force can range between 650 and 1,000 pounds per square inch (psi), according to A-Z Animals, an online animal encyclopedia.

Do not try this – even in a zoo.
Image source: New York Post.

How does a lion’s bite force that compare to other animals? The land animal with the greatest bite force is the saltwater crocodile with a measurement of 3,700 psi for a 17-ft long subject. A sensor placed at the end of a stick safely provided the force measurement. Since some saltwater crocodiles can reach up 23 feet in length, a much larger force would not be surprising. In contrast, researchers estimate that a 21-foot great white shark can produce a bite force of nearly 4,000 psi. However, this number is based on computer modeling – not actual measurements.

In humans, bite force is important especially in dental research. Since the researchers can rely on the cooperation the subject, the bite force measurements are made with force transducers, such as strain gauge transducers, piezoresistive transducers, piezoelectric transducers, optical fiber transducers and pressure-sensitive films. The average human bite force is 162 psi.

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Water Pressure Requirements in High-Rise Buildings

Water Pressure Requirements in High-Rise Buildings

In high-rise buildings, a properly designed hot water distribution system presents several challenges. A compliant system requires a minimum pressure at every fixture. Per standards and guidelines, the minimum pressure is generally around 200 kPa (2 bar or 25 psi). Meeting the minimum pressure requirement in a high-rise building, requires a pump because water pressure drops approximately 10 kPa (0.1 bar or 1.5 psi) for every meter that it rises.

Although the pump helps meet the minimum pressure requirements for the higher floors, it causes problems elsewhere because the maximum pressures must not be exceeded that are generally around 500 kPa (5 bar or 80 psi). Without proper design considerations, achieving the minimum pressure at the top of the building, almost certainly means exceeding the maximum pressure at the bottom of the building. The Figure shows an example of the pressure drop between floors in a high-rise building.

How to Design Hot Water Recirculation Systems in High-Rise Buildings (h2xengineering.com) Image source: How to Design Hot Water Recirculation Systems in High-Rise Buildings (h2xengineering.com)

Without appropriate design considerations, meeting the minimum pressure requirements at the highest floor means exceeding the maximum pressure limits at the lower four floors.

The use of pressure reduction valves (PRVs) and pressure zones (where the pressure is within a desired range) helps to provide a balanced system in high-rise buildings and avoids long wait times to receive hot water.

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Water Pressure: Can You Dig It? Can You Dig with It?

Water Pressure: Can You Dig It? Can You Dig with It?

With a horizontal water pressure drill you can. For example, a water drill kit from one company enables horizontal boring under driveways or parking lots for a distance up to 50 ft. The kit includes a 3-inch water drill bit, swivel adapter, swivel assembly and a horizontal drill key.

Water drilling kit with 3” bit. Image source: Little Beaver Store.

Simple connecting the water swivel to a garden hose and some extra ¾” Schedule 80 water pipe enables a homeowner or worker to trench a path for running electrical wires or plumbing under the ground. In addition, it can simplify digging holes for a lamp post or plants. The water pressure from the home, typically between 40 to 60 PSI, provides sufficient force for water to do the digging.

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Pressure in Wastewater Treatment

Pressure in Wastewater Treatment

Water reuse or water recycling or water reclamation takes water from a variety of sources, treats it, and reuses it for agriculture and irrigation, potable water supplies, groundwater replenishment, industrial processes and environmental restoration. Removing impurities from wastewater and sewage requires the removal of all types of physical, chemical, and biological contaminations in Sewage Treatment Plants (STP). While the water may be treated to obtain any level of quality desired, as its purity increases, so does the cost of obtaining that purity.

In the U.S., the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act provide regulations to protect the quality of drinking water source waters, community drinking water, and waterbodies such as rivers and lakes. Moving the water between various processing stations in a treatment plant requires numerous pumps. Since contaminants are removed at different steps, there are many locations that could limit or restrict the water flow. In the secondary treatment of wastewater, Waste Activated Sludge (WAS) and Return Activated Sludge (RAS) as well as scum are among the different flowing constituents. For successful long-term operation, pressure sensing could occur at several points in the reclamation process.

The water reclamation process in the city of St. Petersburg, Florida identifies 11 pumps to achieve their desired water quality.
Image source:
water-reclamation-process-flow-diagram_medium.jpg (800×533) (usf.edu)

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