An investigation of water spray patterns

Abstract

With water sprinklers having an omnipresence in our lives, be it in industrial settings or even in our homes, the development of more improved infrastructure/design for sprinkler heads have instead being somewhat lacking. Current designs have not changed for the past decades. As our architectural landscapes move into the new millennia, it is imperative that sprinkler head designs be relooked and re-evaluated in the hope of achieving a more effective, efficient and low-cost sprinkler system.

In this research, two new spray head designs were conceptualized, modeled and evaluated through experimentation methods. The designs’ accompanying spray patterns were then investigated in order to conclude on a spray head design and spray pattern which allows for water spray radius/reach, directional control and even distribution. Efficient and effective spray pattern characteristics studied were based on an extensive literature review of studies performed on sprinkler spray patterns via numerical modeling and actual experimentation/studies.

Results from the experimentation were presented in an effective grid format which is able to log down the various spray characteristics, before a detailed discussion and conclusions brings the research to a closure. Besides achieving the above-mentioned aims, lower infrastructure costs with the implementation of the proposed sprinkler head design is also key. Based on the detailed evaluation, the proposed sprinkler head design and spray pattern is then presented in this report as a 3-Dimensional CAD model via the use of Solidworks.