Hydrostatic Forces on Plane &

Curved Surfaces
CVEN 212
Spring 2015
Riyadh Al-Raoush, PhD, PE

Static Surface Forces

hinge
8m

water

4m

Static Surface Forces

Forces on plane areas
Forces on curved surfaces
Buoyant force

Forces on Plane Areas

Horizontal surfaces
Inclined surfaces
Techniques to find the line of action of the
resultant force

Center

of pressure

Statics Review: First Moments

xdA

1
x xdA
A A

Moment of an area A about the y axis

Location of centroidal axis

1
y ydA
A A
x
For a plate of uniform thickness the intersection of the centroidal
axes is also the center of gravity

Statics Review: Second Moments

area moment of inertia
Also called ____________________
I o y 2 dA
A

by the transfer equation

I Io y A
2

I is the 2nd moment with respect to

the horizontal centroidal axis of the
area

Area and Center of Gravity

Forces on Plane Areas:

Horizontal surfaces
What is the force on the bottom of this
tank of water?

F pdA p dA pA

Side view

p = h

F is normal to the surface and towards

the surface if p is positive.

F passes through the ________

centroid of the area.
Top view

Forces on Plane Areas:

Horizontal surfaces

Forces on Plane Areas: Inclined

surfaces

Direction of force

Magnitude of force
integrate

Normal to the plane

the pressure over the area

pressure is no longer constant!

Line of action

Forces on Plane Areas: Inclined

Surfaces
Free surface
h A

O
x
y

yp

centroid
B

center of pressure

x
xp

Magnitude of Force on Inclined

Plane Area
F pdA

p h y sin

F sin ydA

F yA sin

1
y ydA
A A

F h A
F pA

p is the pressure at the __________________

centroid of the area

Forces on Plane Areas:

Center of pressure: xcp

The center of pressure is not at the centroid

(because pressure is increasing with depth)
x

coordinate of center of pressure: xcp

xcp F xpdA Moment of resultant = sum of moment of
A

1
xcp
F

xpdA

distributed forces
F yA sin

1
____
xcp
xy

sin dA
____

A
yA sin

1
xcp
xydA

A
yA

p y sin

Center of pressure: xcp

1
xcp
xydA

yA A

xcp
xcp

I xy xydA
A

I xy

I xy x yA I xy

yA

_
Ixy = 0

x yA I xy
yA

xcp x

Product of inertia

_
Ixy = 0
y

I xy
yA

x
x
If x = x or y = y is an axis of symmetry then the product of
inertia Ixy is zero.

Center of pressure: ycp

ycp F ypdA
A

1
ycp
F

ypdA

Solve for ycp

F yA sin

1
2____
ycp
y
sin dA

____
yA sin A
1
2
Io
ycp
y
dA

yA A

Io
ycp
yA
ycp

Iy A I

y
yA
yA
2

p y sin

y 2 dA

I o I y 2 A Transfer equation

I
ycp
y
yA

Inclined Surface Findings

The horizontal center of pressure and the

horizontal centroid ________
coincide when the surface x x I xy
cp
yA
has either a horizontal or vertical axis of
symmetry
Ix
The center of pressure is always _______
below the ycp yA y
centroid
The vertical distance between the centroid and
the center of pressure _________
decreases as the surface
is lowered deeper into the liquid
What do you do if there isnt a free surface?

Example using Moments

An elliptical gate covers the end of a pipe 4 m in diameter. If the
gate is hinged at the top, what normal force F applied at the
bottom of the gate is required to open the gate when water is 8 m
deep above the top of the pipe and the pipe is open to the
atmosphere on the other side? Neglect the weight of the gate.
Solution Scheme

Magnitude of the force

8m
applied by the water
Location of the resultant force
Find F using moments about
hinge

water
F

hinge

4m

Magnitude of the Force

Fr pA

8m

A ab

h = _____
10 m

Depth to the centroid

water
Fr
F

p = ___
h

Fr h ab
N

Fr 9810 3 10 m 2.5 m 2 m
m

a = 2.5 m

Fr= ________
1.54 MN
b=2m

hinge

4m

Location of Resultant Force

Ix
ycp
y
yA

8m

yh

Slant distance
to surface

12.5 m
y ________
ycp y

ba
4 yab
3

Ix

ba 3
4

water
Fr
F

4m

A ab
a = 2.5 m

a2
(2.5m) 2

ycp y
4 y 4(12.5m)

0.125 m
ycp y _______

hinge

cp
b=2m

Force Required to Open Gate

How do we find the
required force?

8m
Fr
F

Moments about the hinge

M hinge 0 =Frlcp-Fltot
F

Fr lcp
ltot

water

lcp=2.625 m

4m

2.5 m

cp

1.54 x 10 N 2.625 m
F
6

5 m

F = 809
______
kN

hinge

b=2m

ltot

Forces on Plane Surfaces Review

The average magnitude of the pressure
force is the pressure at the centroid
The horizontal location of the pressure force
_
was at x (WHY?) The
____________________
gate was symmetrical
___________________________________
about at least one of the centroidal axes.
The vertical location of the pressure force is
below the centroid. (WHY?) ___________
Pressure
___________________
increases with depth.

Forces on Curved Surfaces

Horizontal component
Vertical component
Tensile Stress in pipes and spheres

Forces on Curved Surfaces:

Horizontal Component
The horizontal component of pressure force
on a curved surface is equal to the pressure
force exerted on a vertical ______
projection of the
curved surface
The horizontal component of pressure force
on a closed body is always zero
___.
The center of pressure is located on the
projected area using the moment of inertia

Forces on Curved Surfaces:

Vertical Component

What is the magnitude of

the vertical component of
force on the cup?
p = h

F = r2h =W!

Forces on Curved Surfaces:

Vertical Component
The vertical component of pressure force on a
curved surface is equal to the weight of liquid
vertically above the curved surface and
extending up to the (virtual or real) free
surface
Streeter, et. al

Example: Forces on Curved

Surfaces
Find the resultant force (magnitude and location)
on a 1 m wide section of the circular arc.

F V = W1 + W2
3m
= (3 m)(2 m)(1 m) + (2 m)2(1 m)
water
= 58.9 kN + 30.8 kN
= 89.7 kN
2m
FH = p A
= (4 m)(2 m)(1 m)
= 78.5 kN

W1
2m
W2

Example: Forces on Curved

Surfaces
The vertical component line of action goes through
the centroid of the volume of water above the surface.

Take moments about a vertical

axis through A.
4( 2 m )
xFV (1 m) W1
W2
3
4(2 m)
(1 m)58.9 kN
30.8 kN
3
x
89.7 kN

A
3m

water

W1
2m

2m

W2

= 0.948 m (measured from A) with magnitude of 89.7 kN

Example: Forces on Curved

Surfaces
The location of the line of action of the horizontal
component is given by

Ix
yp
y
yA

bh 3
Ix
12

A
3m

b
h

I x (1 m)(2 m)3/12 = 0.667 m4

y 4m
0.667 m 4
yp
4 m 4.083 m
4 m 2 m 1 m

water

W1
2m

2m

W2

4.083 m

0.948 m

Example: Forces on Curved

Surfaces

78.5 kN horizontal
89.7 kN vertical
119.2 kN resultant

Buoyant Force

The resultant force exerted on a body by a

static fluid in which it is fully or partially
submerged
The

projection of the body on a vertical plane

has two sides and the pressure on the two sides
is equal, thus
________________________________
the horizontal forces always balance
The projection of the body on a horizontal
plane also has two sides, but the pressures on
the two surfaces are _________
different

Buoyant Force: Thought

Experiment
Place a thin wall balloon filled
with water in the tank of water.
What is the net force on the
zero
balloon? _______
Does the shape of the balloon
no
matter? ________
What is the buoyant force on
of water
the balloon? Weight
_____________
displaced
_________

FB

FB=V

Buoyant Force: Line of Action

The buoyant force acts through the centroid

of the displaced volume of fluid (center of
buoyancy)
1
xd x

xd