2.

6 HYDROSTATIC THRUST ON DAMS

(PLANE SURFACE) AND USE OF
PRESSURE DIAGRAM
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of this topic student should :
i.Be able to determine force exerted by fluids on
plane surfaces and location of centre of pressure
using pressure diagram. (CO2-PO2)
• PLANE
SURFACES
• PRESSURE
DIAGRAM
 Dams

Hydrostatic forces
Turbine
Energy conversion Hydrostatic uplift
Bernoulli equation
HYDROSTATIC THRUST ON DAM--PLANE SURFACE

A Gravity Dam The Resultant Force is Acting

Perpendicular to the Dam

The Lateral Force Component on the

Lateral Force Components
Projected Vertical Area Ap
Acting on the Dam
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 HYDROSTATIC THRUST ON DAM- PRESSURE DIAGRAM
Alternate approach of determining the hydrostatic force is by means
of a pressure prism
•Consider a vertical plane submerged in a static fluid, as shown in the figure.
•The pressure increases linearly with the depth.
•One can then easily construct a corresponding three-dimensional diagram of
the pressure distribution, and such a volume is called a pressure prism.

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•The resultant force is the total volume of the pressure prism, that is

FR = Volume = 1/2 (ρgh) (bh)

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 P = gy
Liquid density, 
y
2/3 H
1
Fw  gH 2 ( N / m)
H 2

P = gH
At the free surface the gauge pressure is zero.
 It increases linearly from zero at the surface by P = gy, to a maximum of at the base of P = gH.

 The area of this triangle represents the resultant force per unit width on the vertical
wall. Area of pressure diagram = Therefore, the resultant force per unit width,
1
Fw  gH 2 ( N / m)
2

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 P = gy
Liquid density, 
y
2/3 H
1
Fw  gH 2 ( N / m)
H 2

P = gH
 This force acts through the centroid of the pressure diagram. For a triangle, the
centroid is located at 2/3 its height, thus the resultant force acts at a depth of
2/3 H from water level
 The total resultant force can be obtained by multiplying the above equation
with the width of the surface, B.
F = ½ pgH2B
 The same pressure diagram technique can be used when combinations of liquid
are held in tanks (e.g. oil floating on water).
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