Determining Diameter of Pipe with Drilled Hole

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In summary, when dealing with a circle that represents a pipe with a hole drilled through it, the outer diameter is the total diameter of the pipe, while the inner diameter refers to the diameter of the hole inside the pipe. The inner and outer diameters are commonly abbreviated as ID and OD respectively. When calculating the area of the shaded part or the washer, the inner and outer diameters are used to find the difference in radius and ultimately the thickness of the wall. However, if the pipe is thin and the hole is relatively large, the inner and outer diameters can be assumed to be equal.
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Casio1
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A textbook shows a circle with a line drawn through the centre and advises that the line represents the diameter of the circle, ok with that, but what happens if the circle was a pipe and the pipe had a hole drilled into it, so the pipe now has an outer diameter of 10 but the hole inside the pipe is 5.

How do you define the diameter of the pipe now, is it at the outer edge of the circle or the inner circle diameter, where the hole was drilled through?

Thanks.
 

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In applications, you call one the inner diameter, and the other the outer diameter. Common abbreviations are ID and OD.
 
  • #3
Casio said:
A textbook shows a circle with a line drawn through the centre and advises that the line represents the diameter of the circle, ok with that, but what happens if the circle was a pipe and the pipe had a hole drilled into it, so the pipe now has an outer diameter of 10 but the hole inside the pipe is 5.

How do you define the diameter of the pipe now, is it at the outer edge of the circle or the inner circle diameter, where the hole was drilled through?

Thanks.

You have an outer diameter and an inner diameter as Ackbach said and any good textbook/exam paper/problem/application will make this clear. For a thin pipe you may be able to assume they are equal, especially if the gap in the middle is comparatively large.

Consider this picture of a washer (it's the same as a cross-section of your pipe but easier to visualise) - the red horizontal line is the outer diameter and the blue horizontal line is the inner diameter.

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You usually come across these problems when you need to find the area of the shaded part (or, using the example above, the area of the washer)
 
  • #4
SuperSonic4 said:
You have an outer diameter and an inner diameter as Ackbach said and any good textbook/exam paper/problem/application will make this clear. For a thin pipe you may be able to assume they are equal, especially if the gap in the middle is comparatively large.

Consider this picture of a washer (it's the same as a cross-section of your pipe but easier to visualise) - the red horizontal line is the outer diameter and the blue horizontal line is the inner diameter.

vZjdkZw


You usually come across these problems when you need to find the area of the shaded part (or, using the example above, the area of the washer)

I was OK with the above understanding but I did have a method for calculating the inside diameter as above, which I thought was something like;

OD^2 - (OD^2 - Id^2) / pi

The problem is that I can't find the original material I got the above out of so am at a loss if the above is correct or I have got something wrong?

The other problem is that I believe that in your washer example as is the same as my pipe, the annulus is the wall, and there is only one circular wall and some people are trying to tell me there are two walls when trying to calculate the thickness of the wall?

I had this lot in a book which I can't find now:eek:
 
  • #5
Casio said:
I was OK with the above understanding but I did have a method for calculating the inside diameter as above, which I thought was something like;

OD^2 - (OD^2 - Id^2) / pi
I don't understand what you mean here. You said this was "a method for calculating the inside diameter" but the formula involves the inside diameter. You can't have a formula for inner diameter based only on the outer diameter because you can drill a hole in a solid pipe with diameter anywhere from 0 up to the outer diameter.

The problem is that I can't find the original material I got the above out of so am at a loss if the above is correct or I have got something wrong?

The other problem is that I believe that in your washer example as is the same as my pipe, the annulus is the wall, and there is only one circular wall and some people are trying to tell me there are two walls when trying to calculate the thickness of the wall?

The people, I suspect, are talking about the two sides of the 'wall'. The thickness of the 'wall'- actually of the pipe- is the difference between inner and outer radius- that is (OD- ID)/2, half the difference of outer diameter and inner diameter because 'radius' is half the 'diameter'.

I had this lot in a book which I can't find now:eek:
 
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FAQ: Determining Diameter of Pipe with Drilled Hole

How do you determine the diameter of a pipe with a drilled hole?

To determine the diameter of a pipe with a drilled hole, you will need to measure the width of the hole using a caliper or ruler. Then, you can use a formula to calculate the diameter of the pipe based on the known width of the hole.

What is the formula for determining the diameter of a pipe with a drilled hole?

The formula for determining the diameter of a pipe with a drilled hole is: D = (W x 2) / 0.7854, where D is the diameter of the pipe and W is the width of the drilled hole.

Can you use this method for any type of pipe?

Yes, this method can be used for any type of pipe, as long as the drilled hole is circular in shape. It is important to accurately measure the width of the hole to ensure an accurate calculation of the diameter.

What are some common errors that can occur when determining the diameter of a pipe with a drilled hole?

Some common errors that can occur include using an inaccurate or imprecise measuring tool, not measuring the width of the hole at its widest point, and not properly using the formula to calculate the diameter. It is important to double check your measurements and calculations to ensure accuracy.

Are there any alternative methods for determining the diameter of a pipe with a drilled hole?

Yes, there are alternative methods such as using a pipe gauge or measuring the circumference of the pipe and then using a formula to calculate the diameter. However, the method of measuring the width of the drilled hole is generally considered the most accurate and reliable.

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