Siphons are used in hydraulic and engineering works.
Siphon is a concept with multiple uses. The word comes from the Latin sipho , although its more distant etymological origin takes us to the Greek language .
The first meaning mentioned by the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to a curved tube or one that has elbows that allows extracting a liquid contained in a container .
According to its design, a siphon allows the contained water to pass under or over something. The Romans, for example, used siphons in the construction of their aqueducts .
Siphons, in this way, appear in engineering works, appliances and hydraulic installations . Its applications are diverse, and have changed over the decades.
Siphons to overcome obstacles
One of the applications of the siphon is to cross depressions in the earth , and to do so it must make use of its oldest variant. A situation in which this occurs would be the following: if an obstacle prevents the course of a canal, its elevation is lower than that of the latter and it is not possible to make a normal interruption using a road or other canal, which It is normal to use a tube that passes under the obstacle and returns to the level of the channel when the terrain is suitable. The shape of said tube is like that of a U and this is useful for a large number of similar problems.
The principle that comes into action in such a case is called communicating vessels . It should be noted that to avoid complications derived from high hydraulic pressure at the base of said siphon, it is important to use reinforced tubes, with sufficient capacity to resist it.
Its use in sanitary devices
Sanitary appliances, such as toilets, washbasins and sinks, are fundamental elements of any modern building, and the siphon fulfills one of its applications in this area, specifically to allow them to discharge water and thus food remains and Other debris does not lodge in the pipes and rot.
As can be seen, the function in this case pursues both health protection (rot could lead to pests and infections) and aesthetics (bad smell is not compatible with the image we currently have of a home or office. ).
The soda or carbonated water container is known as a siphon.
Inverted siphon in washing machine
The washing machine , also known as a washing machine , is one of the household appliances that takes advantage of the principles of the siphon for its operation.
In this case, it is the inverted siphon , and it takes place when the device takes the products to apply them to the clothes: they are in the drawer-shaped compartment and do not reach the top of the siphon, but when the level rises to Due to the opening of a valve, the phenomenon known as siphoning begins.
Carbonated water or soda container
The container that contains carbonated water (also called carbonated water or soda ) is also called a siphon, a commonly consumed drink in many countries.
These carbonated water siphons used to be made of glass although, over the years, they were made of plastic as they are safer. This is because, being packaged under pressure , they run the risk of exploding. The siphons have a valve linked to a tube that reaches to the bottom of the bottle and has, at the other end, an outlet to the outside. By pressing a button, carbonated water passes through the tube and out of the siphon.
The siphon as an anatomical structure
In the field of biology , the anatomical structure that allows water to circulate is called a siphon.
This can be seen in octopuses , water snails , squid , clams and other animals. There are insects that also have siphons that allow them to breathe, acting similar to a snorkel.