Tire Pressure Gauges Work Just Like a Pressure Control Valve
If you own a car and you need to check the pressure of your tires, you probably have those pen-sized tire-pressure gauges. If you don’t, you then brought your car to an auto shop or petrol station, and you probably observed that their tire pressure gauges are bigger and look more like a pressure control valve. In reality, a tire pressure gauge is just a handy pressure control valve.
Pressure exertion and release
The way gas or air exerts pressure inside a container – or valve – it through the action of the air or gas atoms colliding with the sides of the container. Imagine having a single gas atom in a sealed container. The atom is in constant motion, ricocheting off the sides of the container. The speed of the atom’s activity can be determined either by temperature or additional atoms. So when the temperature is raised, the hotter the atoms, the faster they move. If more atoms are added into the container, the more collisions happen, and the greater pressure they exert inside the container.
The latter is what happens inside a pressure control valve, such as a tire pressure gauge.
Inside the pressure gauge
As the pressure gauge is applied to the tire’s valve stem or air release stem, the pressurised air from the tire rushes in and pushes the piston inside the tire pressure gauge. The distance the piston travels is relative to the pressure in the tire. The pressurised air is pushing the piston, and the spring inside is pushing back. The spring is used to read the calibration. When the gauge is released from the valve stem, the flow of pressurised air stops and the spring immediately pushes the piston back so the calibration can be made.
The tire pressure gauge is designed to have some maximum pressure. So, you’ll observe that as the piston and spring work together, the calibration rod is pushed out of the gauge so you can see the calibration number.
This is how pressure control valves work
For whatever land or underwater industry a pressure control valve is used, the above description is basically how it works. However, instead of a calibration rod coming out, mechanical gauges or digital gauges are used to measure the pressure being exerted. You can therefore see the importance of pressure control valves, especially with vital industries such as water distribution and underwater air pumping stations in this time of the pandemic.
Master Mac 2000
When it comes to the distribution of pressure control valve components, general valves, and sub-bases from quality brands such as Univer, MasterMac2000 has been an Australian-owned distributor since 1980. It also distributes quality pneumatic valves with mixed or spool system for heavy applications. Other valves available are compact valves, flow control valves, and accessories. Contact Master Mac 2000 today for more information at 07 3344 4711 or visit their site at https://mastermac2000.com.au/.