10. (15 points) As shown in the figure, it is a water purification device, with water flowing from $A$ to $B$ first, and then to $C$. Originally, there were 10 pipes with the same flow rate between container $A-B$, and 10 pipes with the same flow rate between $B-C$. After swapping one pipe between $A-B$ and $B-C$, the flow rate increased by 40 cubic meters per hour. Question: By adjusting the pipeline layout, what is the maximum increase in flow rate from $A$ to $C$ in cubic meters?
【Analysis】Due to the swap of a pipeline between $A-B$ and $B-C$, the flow rate increased by 40 cubic meters per hour, which indicates: the pipelines between $A-B$ and $B-C$ are different. One set of pipelines has a higher flow rate than the other, and swapping one pipeline increases the flow rate by 40 cubic meters per hour. Since the set with the higher flow rate has 10 pipelines, swapping 5 pipelines should result in the maximum increase in flow rate. According to the maximum increase in flow rate $=$ number of pipelines swapped $\times$ increase in flow rate per pipeline, the solution can be derived.

【Solution】Solution: $40 \times(10 \div 2)$,
$$
\begin{array}{l}
=40 \times 5, \\
=200 \text { (cubic meters), }
\end{array}
$$

Answer: By adjusting the pipeline layout, the flow rate from $A$ to $C$ can be increased by a maximum of 200 cubic meters.