VIENNA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

HOMEWORK 2

a
Compute the behaviour of pressure on the surface of a rigid sphere (having radius R)
immersed at depth H below the free surface of a fluid (having density ρ). Compute the
total force acting on the sphere and compare it with the weight of the fluid volume occupied
by the sphere.

b
A rectangular tank, inclined by an angle ϕ, must be designed and installed (Fig. 1).
To compute the stresses acting on the tank structure, it is necessary to find the pressure
distribution on the tank walls as a function of the position x and y from the tank corner
(see sketch in Fig. 1). Find an expression for p(x, y).

y 


 g sin ϕ
  X
z
X
  
  
  g cos ϕ  g
  ϕ
  
   ?
X 
XX XXX 
XXX 
ϕ XX
XXX
z
X
x
Figura 1: Sketch of the inclined tank.

c
A cake of soap (width W , height H and length L) floats on the water surface, with the
bottom face immersed at a depth D (from the water surface). Find its density.

d
A barge (German: Lastkahn) sank down and lies 30 m below the sea surface (see Fig. 2).
The boat is 30 m long, 10 m deep and 10 m wide. The total mass of the boat is 300 t. To

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recover the boat, a crane (whose capacity is 100 t) is employed. Therefore it is necessary
to remove some water (replacing it with air) until the crane is able to lift it up. Compute
the volume of water that must be removed and the relative pressure of the air in the boat.

Figura 2: Sketch of the barge (problem e).

e
Departing from the earth’s surface, the temperature changes as T (z) = T0 − αz, where
T0 = 293 K, α = 5.0 · 10−3 K/m and z is the distance from the surface. A spherical
weather balloon with mass mp = 2.5 kg and R0 = 1 m is filled with a mass mg = 0.8 kg
of light gas. Assuming that the radius R0 remains constant (and that M = 29Kg/Kmol,
R = 8314J/Kmol/K) compute the height z at which the ballon stops.