Fluid Mechanics

FLUID STATICS

Pressure Variation with Elevation

dp

dz
Variation in pressure with elevation.
Engineering Fluid Mechanics 8/E by Crowe, Elger, and Roberson
Copyright 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Variation in pressure with elevation.

Hydrostatic equation

dp

dz

From a vertical datum,

pressure decreases as
z-datum elevation increases.

Pressure Variation in Uniform Density

Assuming that the density () and specific weight ( ) of a fluid are
uniform through the fluid

dp
Integrate
to get
dz

p z pz
pz : Piezometric pressure

z constant

Hydrostatic Equation

Piezometric head

p1
p2

z1
z2

Pressure Variation in Uniform Density

p1
p2

z1
z2

Hydrostatic Equation applies only in a fluid with a

constant specific weight.
It applies to two point in the same fluid but not across
an interface of two fluids having different specific
weight.

Example:
What is the water
pressure at a depth
of 35 ft in the tank
shown?
Specific Weight
= 62.4 lb/ft3

Example 3.3 (p. 37)

Engineering Fluid Mechanics 8/E by Crowe, Elger, and Roberson
Copyright 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Solution:

p1
p2

z1
z2

0 + 250

(P2/) + 215

35 ft

(P2/)

P2

35 * 62.4

P2

2180 psfg = 15.2 psig

Psig = pound force per square inch gage

Example:
Oil with a specific gravity of 0.80 forms a layer 0.90m deep in an open
tank that is otherwise filled with water. The total depth of water and oil is 3
m. What is the gage pressure at the bottom of the tank. = 9810 N/m3

p2 = 0.90 x (0.8 x 9810) = 7.06 kPa

p3 = 7.06 + 2.1 x 9,810 = 27.7 kPa

Engineering Fluid Mechanics 8/E by Crowe, Elger, and Roberson

Hydrostatic Equation

p1
p2

z1
z2

P h
Change in pressure between two points depends on the
specific weight of the fluid, and the vertical distance
between the two points.

Pressure Variation with Elevation

p0

p0

p0

p
h1

1
p1=p0+1h1

p=h
p=p0+h

p0

h2

p2=p1+2h2
h

Pressure Measurements
Barometer to measure atmospheric pressure

Absolute pressure

pabsolute patm h

Gage pressure

ph

Many pressure-measuring device measure not absolute

pressure but only differences in pressure.

Manometer
A pressure measuring method that utilizes the change in pressure with
elevation to evaluate pressure.
Piezometer (manometer )
attached to a pipe

P h
- Accurate & simple .
- The problem is that a piezometer is
impractical for high pressure and useless
for gasses.
If h is 10 m, what is
the pressure at the
centre of the pipe?

U-tube Manometer

General manometer equation

p2 p1 i hi i hi
down

1: Initial point index

2: Final point index
Problem: water in pipe, mercury manometer liquid ( mercury specific weight =133
kN/m3)
h = 60 cm l =180 cm
Find the pressure at the centre of the pipe ?
Ans: 62.1 kPa

up

Example 3.7: Manometer Analysis

Question:

Pressure of the air?

Given: l1 = 40 cm l2 = 100 cm l3 = 80 cm

slide 14

Differential Manometers
To measure the pressure difference btw two points in a pipe

Here, the pressure difference

between 1 and 2 is:

P ( m f )h
(this is for a horizontal pipe z1 = z2)

m : the specific weight of the manometer liquid,

f : the specific weight of the fluid,
h : the deflection of this liquid.

Differential Manometers
Example 3.8:
Specific gravity of
manometer fluid is 3.

h = 5 cm
z = 1 m
y = 2 cm
What is the pressure difference?
What is the change in piezometric pressure?

Solution:
Piezometric pressure

p z p z

Piezometric difference

P ( m f )h

Applying the manometer equation between points 1 and 2:

P2 P1 w (y h) m h w (y z 2 z1 )

( P2 w z 2 ) ( P1 w z1 ) h( w m )
Change in piezometric pressure:

Pz 2 Pz1 h( w ym )

slide 18

FLUID STATICS:
Hydrostatic Force on Plane Surfaces

Distribution of hydrostatic pressure on a plane surface

Pressure on the differential

area can be computed if the y
distance to the point is known
dF = p dA = ( y sin) dA
Integrating the differential
force over the entire area A

Hydrostatic Force

F y SinA p A
Pressure at the centroid

F Sin y dA Sin y A
A

Integral is the first moment of the area

Hydrostatic Force

Hydrostatic Force Terms

h: Vertical distance from centroid to the water surface
(This distance determines the pressure at the centroid)

y: Inclined distance from water surface to the centroid

ycp: Inclined distance from water surface to centre of pressure
P: the pressure at the centroid

Vertical Location of Line of Action of resultant Hydrostatic Force

- Considering moments of the pressure about the horizontal axis 0-0:
_

ycp y

slide 21

yA

ycp = (inclined) distance to the centre of pressure

y = (inclined) distance to the centroid
I = area moment of inertia about horizontal axis passing the centriod
A = surface area

Restrictions:
1- One liquid involved
2- Gage pressure is zero at the liquid surface

Lateral Location of Line of Action of resultant Hydrostatic Force

- The same principles as above can be used for the lateral location
- Starts with taking moments about a line normal to line 0-0

Review of Centroid & Area Moment of Inertia

Example: 3.10
An elliptical gate covers the end of a pipe 4m in diameter. If the gate is hinged at
the top, what normal force F 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 gate.
Resultant hydrostatic force:

Fp p A hA (9810 x10)ab
(a, b: half of major and minor axes)

Fp = 1.54 MN
_

ycp y

yA

1 / 4a 3b

y ab

0.125m

y(slant distance from surface to centroid): 12.5m

Example contd
Moment about the hinge. Moment arm for the
hydrostatic force:
2.5 +0.125 = 2.625m

M hinge 0
(1.541x10 6 N x 2.625 m) - (F x 5 m) 0
F 809 kN

Normal Force required to open gate

Pressure Prism
The volume called the pressure prism, that is a geometric representation
of the hydrostatic force on a plane surface

The resultant force

must pass through the
centroid of the
pressure prism.

Pressure Prism
An informative and useful graphical interpretation can be made for the force
developed by a fluid acting on a plane area.
Consider the pressure distribution along a vertical wall of a tank of width b,
which contains a liquid having a specific weight
Since the pressure must vary linearly with depth, we can represent the
variation as is shown in Figure below, where the pressure is equal to zero at
the upper surface and reach to maximum at the bottom.
It is apparent from this diagram that the average pressure occurs at the
depth h/2 and therefore the resultant force acting on the rectangular area
(A = b h) is

FLUID STATICS:

Hydrostatic Forces on Curved surfaces

Hydrostatic Forces on Curved Surfaces

Find the magnitude and line of action of the hydrostatic force acting
on surface AB
Important Questions to Ask
1. What is the shape of
the curve?
2. How deep is the
curved surface?
3. Where does the curve
intersect straight
surfaces?
4. What is the radius of
the curve?

Hydrostatic Forces on Curved Surfaces

A free-body diagram of a suitable volume of fluid can be used to

determine the resultant force acting on a curved surface.

Hydrostatic forces on Curved surfaces.

Find the magnitude and line of action of the hydrostatic force
acting on surface AB
Forces acting on the fluid element

1.
2.
3.
4.

FV : Force on the fluid element due to the

weight of water above CB
FH : Force on the fluid element due to
horizontal hydrostatic forces on AC
W : Weight of the water in fluid element
ABC
F : The force that counters all other forces

- F has a horizontal component: Fx

- F has a vertical component: Fy

Hydrostatic forces on Curved surfaces

Find the magnitude and line of action of the hydrostatic force acting on surface
AB
- Given: Surface AB with a width of 1 m

Problem Solving Preparation

1. By inspection, curve is a circle.
2. The depth to the beginning of the
curve (4 m depth to B)
3. The curve radius (2 m horizontal
curve projection distance = curve
radius)
4. Label relevant points:
BCDE is water above fluid
element defined by the curve

ABC is the fluid element

defined by the curve

Example 3.11: Hydrostatic forces on Curved surfaces

Find Fv, FH, W, Fx, Fy, F, Line of action for FH & Fv
Given: Surface AB goes 1 m into the paper

Fx= FH = (5 x 9810) (2 x 1) = 98.1 kN

Pres. at the cenroid

AC side area

Fy= W + Fv
Fv= 9810 x 4 x 2 x 1 = 78.5 kN
W= VABC= 9810 (1/4 x r2) 1 = 30.8 kN
Fy= 78.5 + 30.8 = 109.3 kN
The hydrostatic force acting on AB
is equal and opposite to the force
F shown

The centroid of the quadrant

Location of the resultant force

Slide 33

FLUID STATICS:

Buoyancy

Buoyancy, Flotation & Stability

Archimedes Principle
The resultant fluid
force acting on a
body that is completely
Submerged or floating
in a fluid is called the
buoyant force.

Engineering Fluid Mechanics 8/E by Crowe, Elger, and Roberson

Copyright 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Buoyancy: Floating Object

Depends on submerged portion of
the volume
VD is the submerged volume
Buoyant force

FB VD
where g is the specific weight of the
fluid and VD is the volume of the
body
Engineering Fluid Mechanics 8/E by Crowe, Elger, and Roberson
Copyright 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Example 3.12: Bouyant force on a metal part

- Wood block (1) has dimensions
of 10mm x 50 mm x 50 mm
-Specific gravity of 0.3
- Metal object (2) has volume of
6600 mm3
Find the tension in the cable
and mass of object 2.
Steps
Find the buoyant forces.
Find the weight of the block.
Perform force balances on both objects.
Engineering Fluid Mechanics 8/E by Crowe, Elger, and Roberson
Copyright 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Solution: