Fluid Statics

Chapter 2

Fluid statics (Basic equation), Pressure Depth relationships,

Constant density fluids, Ideal gases, Pressure forces on
surfaces, Pressure vessels and piping, Buoyancy, Pressure
measurement, Manometer-like situations, Pressure in
accelerated rigid body motions.
 Introductions
The word statics is derived from Greek word statikos=
motionless

For a fluid at rest or moving in such a manner that there is no

relative motion between particles there are no shearing forces
present: Rigid body approximation

Pascals laws:
Pressure acts uniformly in all directions
on a small volume (point) of a fluid
In a fluid confined by solid boundaries,
pressure acts perpendicular to the
boundary it is a normal force.
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 Direction of fluid pressure on boundaries

Furnace duct Pipe or tube

Heat exchanger

Pressure is due to a Normal

Force
(acting perpendicular to
the surface)
Dam It is also called a Surface Force
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 Pressure distribution for a fluid at rest
The pressure of a fluid at rest increases
with depth
Pgage
We will determine the pressure
distribution in a fluid at rest in
which the only body force
z Pz+z
acting is due to gravity
The sum of the forces acting on g
the fluid must equal zero

z z=0
Consider an infinitesimal y
rectangular fluid element of
dimensions x, y, z Pz
x
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 Let Pz and Pz+z denote the pressures at the base and top of the
cube, where the elevations are z and z+z respectively.
- Force at base of cube: Pz A = Pz (x y)
- Force at top of cube: Pz+z A= Pz+z (x y)
- Force due to gravity: m g = V g = (x y z) g
A force balance in the z direction gives:

F z maz 0 : Pz xy Pz z xy g xyz 0

Pz z Pz
g
z
For an infinitesimal element (z0)
dP Barometric Equation
g Describes pressure change in
dz the upward direction
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 Pressure Depth relationships
Incompressible fluid
Liquids are incompressible i.e. their density is assumed to be
constant
P2 P1 g ( z2 z1 )
When we have a liquid with a free surface the pressure P at any
depth below the free surface is:

P gh Po where Po is the pressure at the free

surface (Po = Patm) and h = zfree surface - z

By using gauge pressures we can simply write:

P gh
Example: Pressure in an Oil Storage Tank
The figure below shows a schematic of a crude oil storage tank. What is the
absolute pressure at the bottom of the cylindrical tank, if it is filled to a
depth of H with crude oil, with its free surface exposed to the atmosphere?
The specific gravity of the crude oil is 0.846. Give the answers for:
a) H = 5.0 m (pressure in Pa and bar).
b) H = 15.0 ft (pressure in lbf / in2)
What is the purpose of the surrounding dike?
Compressible fluid Ideal Gases
Gases are compressible i.e. their density varies with temperature
and pressure = P M /RT
For small elevation changes (as in engineering applications,
tanks, pipes etc) we can neglect the effect of elevation on
pressure
In the general case start:
dP
g 0
dz
for T To const:

gM ( z2 z1 )
P2 P1 exp
RT o
Example
Compute the atmospheric pressure at an altitude of 5000 m if the
pressure at sea level is 101.3 kPa by the following methods
a) assume air of constant density = 1.24 kg/m3 and
b) assuming that the density of air changes with altitude, but
temperature remains constant.
 Hydrostatic forces on plane surfaces
Case 1: Horizontal surface exposed to a gas
F
P = constant everywhere
F=P.A
F
Case 2: Horizontal surface exposed to a liquid
P = Patm

h
P = constant along the
F horizontal surface
P= gh+ Patm P = gh+Patm F=P.A
 Example
The crude oil storage tank shown in page 2.7 has a flat, horizontal
circular roof 150 ft in diameter. The atmospheric pressure is 14.7
psia. What force does the atmosphere exert on the roof?
A layer of rainwater 4 in deep collects on the roof of the tank.
What net pressure force does it exert on the roof of the tank?
(typical values of density of water can be found in the back cover
of your textbook)

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 Hydrostatic forces on plane surfaces

Case 3: Vertical surface exposed to air

Pressure varies linearly with height:

F F P = gh

However, because of gases is very

low, the dependence is very week

Therefore we can assume that

P = constant everywhere

P=F.A

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 Hydrostatic forces on plane surfaces
Case 4: Vertical surface exposed to liquid
Example: The lock gate of a canal is rectangular, 20 m wide and
10 m high. One side is exposed to the atmosphere and the other
side to the water. What is the net force on the lock gate?

h P
Here the pressure varies
F H linearly with depth :
P = g h

Vertical rectangular wall (wall width = W)

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 Vertical plane surfaces
For an infinitesimal area dA the normal force due to the pressure is

dF = P dA
Find resultant force acting on a finite surface by integration
H
h 2
F P dA ( gh) dA g hW dh gW
2 0
For a vertical rectangular wall: F = g W H2

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 Vertical surfaces - General
For surface of arbitrary shape we can write

F g h dA gA h dA
A
By definition the centroid of the surface, hc is: hC
h dA
A
Therefore: F = g hC A

The force exerted on a submerged plane surface is given by the

product of the area and the pressure at the centroid. The location of
the centroid is known for several geometries

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 Centroid Location for Common Shapes

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 Example 2: Centroid Method
A vertical wall, shaped as an inverse triangle, with H = 3m high
and W = 2m wide at the top is submerged in water. The wall is
just level with the surface of the water upstream. Determine the
force exerted by the water on the wall, by using the centroid
method.
W

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Pressure vessels and piping
In practice, three different types of storage vessels are known:
Cylindrical with vertical axes Spherical Horizontal cylinders (sausage)

For liquids For liquids

For liquids at 1 atm (rarely gases) at
(rarely gases) at
P > atm high pressures

Choice between different vessels is based on economics,

which is mainly driven by the necessity to resist pressure
Thickness of wall: t
PD tesnile: tensile stress
2 tensile Read examples 2.9, 2.10
 Buoyancy
Laws of buoyancy discovered by Archimedes:
A body immersed in a fluid experiences a vertical buoyant force
equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces
A floating body displaces its own weight in the fluid in
which it floats Free liquid surface
F1
h1

The upper surface of the

body is subjected to a
H smaller force than the
lower surface
h
2
A net force is acting
upwards
F2
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 The net force due to pressure in the vertical direction is:

FB = F2 - F1 = (Pbottom - Ptop) (xy)

The pressure difference is:
Pbottom Ptop = g (h2 - h1) = g H
Hence:
FB = g H (xy)

Thus the buoyant force is:

FB = g V

where = the fluid density

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 Example
Consider a solid cube of
dimensions 1ft 1ft 1ft
(= 0.305m 0.305m 0.305m).
Its top surface is 10 ft (=3.05 m)
below the surface of the water.
The density of water is f = 1000
kg/m3.
Consider two cases:
a) The cube is made of cork
(B=160.2 kg/m3)
b) The cube is made of steel
(B=7849 kg/m3)
In what direction does the body
tend to move?
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 Example
A helium balloon is at the same pressure and temperature as the
surrounding air (1 atm, 20oC) and has a diameter of 3 m. The
weight of the plastic skin of the balloon is negligible. How much
payload can the balloon lift?

Example
A block of wood is floating at the interface between a layer of
gasoline and a layer of water. What fraction of the wood is
below the interface?
 Measurement of Pressure
The atmospheric pressure can be measured with a barometer:
Patm gh Pvapor

For mercury barometers atmospheric pressure (101.33kPa)

corresponds to h = 760 mmHg (= 29.2 in)
- If water is used h = 10.33 m H2O (= 34 ft)

Manometers are devices in which one or more columns of a

liquid are used to determine the pressure difference between two
points.
U-tube manometer
Inclined-tube manometer
Pascals principle (The hydrostatic paradox)
From dP/dz = -g, the pressure at a point in a fluid depends only on
density, gravity and depth.
The pressure in a homogeneous, incompressible fluid at rest
depends on the depth of the fluid relative to some reference plane,
and it is not influenced by the size or shape of the tank or container

Fluid is the same in all containers

Pressure is the same at the bottom of all containers

Example 1: Manometer

Manometric fluid,
Fluid, density T
density M

Find the gage pressure at point A

Example 2: Measurement of Pressure Differences
PA PB

Find the pressure difference PA-PB

Measurement of Pressure
Mechanical and electronic pressure measuring devices:
When a pressure acts on an elastic structure it will deform.
This deformation can be related to the magnitude of the pressure.
Bourdon pressure gage

Pressure transducers convert pressure into an electrical output

Strain-gage pressure transducers are suitable for rapid changes
in pressure and cover big ranges of pressure values
 Pressure in Accelerated Rigid-Body Motion
In this case, the entire mass of fluid is in motion z Pz+z
Consider an infinitesimal rectangular fluid g
element of dimensions x, y, z
z z=0
y
The force balance in the z direction becomes:

Fz maz : Pz xy Pz z xy g xyz x Pz

d 2z
xyz 2
dt
dP d 2z
Dividing by xyz and taking z0: g 2
dz dt
d 2z
P2 P1 g 2 z2 z1 Constant density
dt
d 2z
For gauge pressure: P h g 2
dt dP d 2
a
g cos 2
If the acceleration is not in the same direction as gravity: da dt
Example
An open tank containing water 5 m deep is sitting in an elevator.
Calculate the gauge pressure at the bottom of the tank:
a) when the elevator is standing still,
b) when the elevator accelerated upward at the rate of 5 m/s2,
c) when the elevator accelerated downward at the rate of 5 m/s2.

Example
A rectangular tank of orange juice on a cart is moving in the x
direction with a steady acceleration of 1 ft/s2. What angle does
its free surface make with the horizontal.
Problem Solving