CHAPTER THREE

PRESSURE AND FLUID

STATICS
Contents:
This chapter deals with forces applied by fluids at rest or in rigid-body motion.
Fluid property responsible for those forces is pressure, which is a normal force
exerted by a fluid per unit area.

OBJECTIVES

When you finish reading this chapter, you should be able to;

a) Determine the variation of pressure in a fluid at rest

b) Calculate the forces exerted by a fluid at rest on plane or curved submerged

surfaces

c) Analyze the rigid-body motion of fluids in containers during linear acceleration

or rotation.
3-1 Pressure

Pressure is defined as a normal force exerted by a fluid per unit area. We speak
of pressure only when we deal with a gas or a liquid. Pressure has a unit of
newtons per square meter (N/m2), which is called a Pascal (Pa).

Three other pressure units commonly used in practice, especially in Europe, are;
bar,
standard atmosphere,
and kilogram-force per square centimeter:

1 bar = 105 Pa = 0.1 MPa = 100 kPa

1 atm = 101,325 Pa = 101.325 kPa = 1.01325 bars

1 kgf/cm2 = 9.807 N/cm2 = 9.807 X 104 N/m2 = 9.807 X 104 Pa = 0.9807 bar =
0.9679 atm

1 atm = 14.696 psi.

It can be shown that 1 kgf/cm2 = 14.223 psi.

 Pressure is also used for solids as synonymous to normal stress, which is force
acting perpendicular to the surface per unit area. A person can walk on fresh snow
without sinking by wearing large snowshoes, and how a person cuts with little
effort when using a sharp knife.
Figure 3-1
Actual pressure at a give point is called Some Basic Pressure Gages
the absolute pressure.

Most pressure-measuring devices are

calibrated to read zero in the atmosphere,
and therefore indicate gage pressure,
Pgage=Pabs - Patm.

Pressure below atmospheric pressure are

called vacuum pressure, Pvac=Patm -
Pabs.
The gage used to measure the air pressure in an automobile tire reads the gage
pressure. Therefore, the common reading of 32 psi (2.25 kgf/cm2 or bar)
indicates a pressure of 32 psi above the atmospheric pressure.

In thermodynamic relations and tables, absolute pressure is almost always used.

EXAMPLE 3-1: Absolute Pressure of a Vacuum hamber

A vacuum gage connected to a chamber reads 5.8 psi at a location where I the
atmospheric pressure is 14.5 psi. Determine the absolute pressure in the
chamber.

Solution: Pabs = Patm - Pvac = 14.5 - 5.8 = 8.7 psi

Figure 3-2. Absolute, gage and vacuum pressure
Pressure at a Point

Pressure is the compressive force per unit area, and it gives the impression of being
a vector. The mean pressures at the three surfaces are P1, P2, and P3 (Figure 3-3),
and the force acting on a surface is the product of mean pressure and the surface
area. From Newton’s second law, a force balance in the x- and z-directions gives;

Figure 3-3
Forces acting on a wedge-shaped
fluid element in equilibrium.
 Σ Fx = max = 0: P1 Δz - P3l sinӨ = 0 (3.1)
Σ Fz = maz = 0: P2 Δx - P3l cosӨ - (1/2)ρg Δx Δz = 0 (3.2)

where ρ is the density and W = mg = ρ gΔxΔz/2 is the weight of the fluid element.
Noting that the wedge is a right triangle, we have Δx = l cosӨ and Δz = l sinӨ.
Substituting these geometric relations and dividing Eq. 3-1 by Δz and Eq. 3-2 by Δx
gives
P1 - P3 = 0 (3.3)
P2 - P3 - (1/2)ρgΔz = 0 (3.4)

The last term in Eq. 3-4 drops out as Δz —> 0 and the wedge becomes
infinitesimal, and thus the fluid element shrinks to a point. Then combining the
results of these two relations gives

P1 = P2 = P3 = P (3.5)

Thus we conclude that the pressure at a point in a

fluid has the same magnitude in all directions.
Variation of Pressure with Depth
Pressure in a fluid increases with depth because more fluid rests on deeper
layers, and the effect of this “extra weight” on a deeper layer is balanced by an
increase in pressure. (Figure 3-4)
Assuming the density of the
fluid to be constant, a force
balance(as shown in Figure 3-
5) in the vertical z-direction
gives
Figure 3-4. The pressure
of a fluid at rest increases
with depth(as a result of
added weight).

Figure 3-5
Free Body Diagram of a rectangular fluid element in
equilibrium
 Σ Fz = maz = 0: P2 Δx - P1 Δx - gρΔx Δz = 0 (3.6)

where W = mg = gρΔx Δz is the weight of the fluid element. Dividing by Δx and

rearranging gives

ΔP = P2 - P1 = ρgΔz = γsΔz (3.7)

where γs = ρg is the specific weight of the fluid.

Figure 3-6 In a room filled with a gas, the

variation of pressure with height is negligible
Pressure in a fluid increases linearly with depth. For a given fluid, the vertical
distance Δz is sometimes used as a measure of pressure, and it is called the
pressure head.

Figure 3-7 Pressure in a liquid at rest

increases linearly with distance from
the free surface
P = Patm + ρgh or Pgage = ρgh (3.8)

For fluids whose density changes significantly with elevation, a relation for the
variation of pressure with elevation can be obtained by dividing Eq. 3-6 by ΔxΔz,
and taking the limit as Δz —> 0. It gives;
dP
  g (3.9)
dz
The negative sign is due to our taking the positive z direction to be upward so that
dP is negative when dz is positive since pressure decreases in an upward
direction.
The pressure difference between points 1 and 2 can be determined by integration

2
to be ΔP = P2 - P1=    gdz (3.10)
1
For constant density and constant gravitational acceleration, this relation reduces
to Eq. 3-7, as expected.

Pressure in a fluid at rest is independent of the shape or cross section of the

container.
Figure 3-8 The pressure is same at all points on a horizontal plane in a given
fluid regardless of geometry, provided that the points are interconnected by the
same fluid.
Scuba Diving and Hydrostatic Pressure
 Scuba Diving and Hydrostatic Pressure
• Pressure on diver at 100 ft?

 kg  m  1m 
Pgage ,2   gz   998 3  9.81 2  100 ft   
1  m  s   3.28 ft 
 1atm 
 298.5kPa    2.95atm
 101.325 kPa 
Pabs ,2  Pgage ,2  Patm  2.95atm  1atm  3.95atm

100 ft

• Danger of emergency ascent?

1 1  PV
PV 2 2 Boyle’s law
V1 P2 3.95atm
  4
V2 P1 1atm

If you hold your breath on ascent, your lung

volume would increase by a factor of 4, which
would result in embolism and/or death.
 Pascal Law
To lift a car easily by one arm, as shown in Fig 3-9. Noting that P1 = P2 since both
pistons are at the same level (the effect of small height differences is negligible,
especially at high pressures), the ratio of output force to input force is determined to
be F F F A
P1  P2  1  2  2  2 (3.11)
A1 A2 F1 A1
The area ratio A2/A1 is called the ideal mechanical advantage of the hydraulic lift.
Using a hydraulic car jack with a piston area ratio of A2/A1 = 10, for example, a
person can lift a 1000-kg car by applying a force of just 100 kgf (= 908 N).

Figure 3-9 Lifting of a large weight

by a small force by the application
of Pascal’s Law
 3-2 THE MANOMETER

An elevation change of Δz in a fluid at rest corresponds to ΔP / ρg, which suggests

that a fluid column can be used to measure pressure differences. A device based
on this principle is called a manometer, and it is used to pressure differences.

The differential fluid column of height h is in static

equilibrium, and it is open to the atmosphere. Then
the pressure at point 2 is determined directly from
Eq. 3-8 to be

P2 = Patm + ρgh (3-12)

Note that the cross-sectional area of the tube has

no effect on the differential height h, and thus the
pressure exerted by the fluid.

Figure 3-10 The Basic Manometer

 EXAMPLE 3-2 Measuring Pressure with a Manometer

A manometer is used to measure the pressure in a tank. The fluid used has a
specific gravity of 0.85, and the manometer column height is 55 cm, as shown
in Fig. 3-11. If the local atmospheric pressure is 96 kPa, determine the absolute
pressure within the tank.

Figure 3-11 Schematic for Example 3-2

ρ = SG (ρH2O) = (0.85)(1000 kg/m3) = 850 kg/m3

P = Patm + ρgh

= 96 kPa + (850 kg/m3)(9.81 m/s2)(0.55 m) 1N 1kPa

( )( )
1 kgm / s 1000 N / m 2
2

= 100.6 kPa
 Figure 3-12
In stacked-up fluid layers, the pressure change across a
fluid layer of density ρ and height h is ρgh.

Many engineering problems and some (3-12)manometers involve multiple immiscible

fluids of different densities stacked on top of each other (see Figure 3-12).

In the special case of all fluids having the same density, this relation reduces to
Eq.3-12, as expected. P1 = Patm + ρgh

Patm + ρ1gh1 + ρ 2 gh 2 + ρ3gh 3 = P1

 Figure 3-13 Measuring the pressure drop across a
flow section or a flow device by a differential
manometer.

A relation for the pressure difference P1 - P2 can be obtained by starting at point 1

with P1, moving along the tube by adding or subtracting the pgh terms until we
reach point 2, and setting the result equal to P2:

P1 + ρ1g(a + h) - ρ2gh - ρ1ga = P2 (3-13)

Simplifying,

P1 – P2= (ρ2 - ρ1)gh (3-14)

Note that the distance “a” has no effect on the result, but must be included in the
analysis. Also, when the fluid flowing in the pipe is a gas, then ρ1 << ρ2 and the

relation in Eq. (***) simplifies to P1 - P2 ρ2gh.
 EXAMPLE3-3, Measuring Pressure with a Multifluid Manometer
The water in a tank is pressurized by air, and the pressure is
measured by a multifluid manometer as shown in Fig 3-14. The
tank is located on a mountain at an altitude of 1400 m where the
atmospheric pressure is 85.6 kPa. Determine the air pressure in
the tank if h1 = 0.1 m, h2 = 0.2 m, and h3 = 0.35 m. Take the
densities of water, oil, and mercury to be 1000 kg/m3, 850 kg/m3,
and 13,600 kg/m3, respectively.

Solution:

P1  Patm  g (  mercury h 3   water h1   oil h2 )

So;
P1   water gh1   oil gh2   mercury gh3  Patm
Figure 3-14 Schematic for example 3-3

P1  Patm   water gh1   oil gh2   mercury gh3

 85.6 kPa  (9.81 m / s 2 ) (13600 kg / m 3 )(0.35 m)  (1000 kg / m 3 )(0.1 m)   (850 kg / m )(0.2 m)(1kg.m / s
3 1N 1 kPa
2
)( )
1000 N / m 2

 130 kPa
 Other Pressure Measurement Devices

Another type of commonly used mechanical pressure measurement device is the

Bourdon tube(Figure 3-15 and Figure 3-16) which consists of a hollow metal tube.

Figure 3-15
Figure 3-16
Modern pressure sensors, called pressure transducers, use various techniques to
convert the pressure effect to an electrical effect such as a change in voltage,
resistance, or capacitance. Pressure transducers are smaller and faster, and they can
be more sensitive, reliable, and precise than their mechanical counterparts..

Differential pressure transducers measure the pressure difference between two locations
directly instead of using two pressure transducers and taking their difference.

Strain-gage pressure transducers work by having a diaphragm deflect between two

chambers open to the pressure inputs. As the diaphragm stretches in response to a
change in pressure difference across it, the strain gage stretches and a Wheatstone
bridge circuit amplifies the output.

A capacitance transducer works similarly, but capacitance change is measured instead

of resistance change as the diaphragm stretches.

Piezoelectric transducers, also called solid-state pressure transducers, work on the

principle that an electric potential is generated in a crystalline substance when it is
subjected to mechanical pressure. Piezoelectric pressure transducers have a much
faster frequency response compared to the diaphragm units and are very suitable for
high-pressure applications, but they are generally not as sensitive as the diaphragm-
type transducers.
3-3 THE BAROMETER AND ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

Atmospheric pressure is measured by a device called a barometer thus, the

atmospheric pressure is often referred to as the barometric pressure.

• PC can be taken to be zero since there is only Hg

vapor above point C, and it is very low relative to
Patm.

• Change in atmospheric pressure due to elevation

has many effects: Cooking, nose bleeds, engine
performance, aircraft performance.

PC   gh  Patm
Patm   gh (3-15)

Figure 3-17. The Basic Barometer

 Figure 3-18.
The length or the cross-sectional area of the tube
has no effect on the height of the fluid column of
a barometer, provided that the tube diameter is
large enough to avoid surface tension(capillary)
effects

A frequently used pressure unit is the standard

atmosphere, which is defined as the pressure
produced by a column of mercury 760 mm in
height at 0 °C (ρHg = 13,595 kg/m3) under standard
gravitational acceleration (g = 9.807 m/s2).
.

The standard atmospheric pressure Patm changes from 101.325 kPa at

sea level.
For a given temperature, the density of air is lower at high altitudes,
and thus a given volume contains less air and less oxygen.
A fan or compressor will displace 15 percent less air at that altitude for
the same volume displacement rate
 Figure 3-19. At high altitudes, a car engine generates
less power and a person gets less oxygen because of the
lower density of air.

EXAMPLE 3-4 Measuring Atmospheric Pressure

with a Barometer

Determine the atmospheric pressure at a location

where the barometric reading is 740 mm Hg and the
gravitational acceleration is g = 9.81 m/s2. Assume
the temperature of mercury to be 10 °C, at which its
density is 13,570 kg/m3.

Solution:
Patm = ρ gh  (13,570 kg/m 3 )(9.81 m/s 2 )(0.74 m)( 1N 1 kPa
2
)( 2
)
1 kg.m / s 1000 N / m

 98.5 kPa
EXAMPLE 3-5 Effect of Piston Weight on Pressure in a Cylinder

The piston of a vertical piston-cylinder device containing a gas has a mass of 60 kg and a
cross-sectional area of 0.04 m2, as shown in Fig 3-20. The local atmospheric pressure is 0.97
bar, and the gravitational acceleration is 9.81 m/s2.

(a) Determine the pressure inside the cylinder.

(b) If some heat is transferred to the gas and its volume is doubled, do you expect the pressure
inside the cylinder to change?

b) The variation of pressure has no effect on the free-

Figure 3-20 . Schematic for Example
body diagram drawn in article (a), so as a result the
3-5, and the free-body diagram of the pressure inside the cylinder remains same.
piston.
EXAMPLE 3-6 Hydrostatic Pressure in a Solar Pond with Variable Density

Solar ponds are small artificial lakes of a few meters deep that are used to store solar
energy. The rise of heated (and thus less dense) water to the surface is prevented by
adding salt at the pond bottom. In a typical salt gradient solar pond, the density of
water increases in the gradient zone, as shown in Fig 3-21, and the density can be
expressed as

Figure 3-21. Schematic for Example 3-6

    z 
  0 1 tan 2   
 4  H 
where ρ is the density on water surface, z is the vertical distance measured
downward from the top of the gradient zone, and H is the thickness of gradient
zone.
For H = 4 m, ρ0 = 1040 kg/m3, and a thickness of 0.8 m for the surface zone,
calculate the gage pressure at the bottom of the gradient zone.

Solution:
Density of brine on the surface is given to
be 1040 kg/m3

So;
1 kN
P1  gh1  (1040 kg / m 3 )(9.81 m / s 2 )(0.8 m)( 2
)  8.16 kPa
1000 kg .m / s

is found.
The differential change in hydrostatic
pressure across a vertical distance of dz
is given by
dP  gdz
Integrating from the top of the gradient
zone (point 1 where z = 0) to any location
z in the gradient zone (no subscript) gives

z z  z 
P  P1   gdz  P  P1    0 1  tan 2  .  gdz
0 0
4 H
Figure 3-22
Performing the integration gives the variation of The variation of gage pressure
gage pressure in the gradient zone to be with depth in the gradient
zone of the solar pond.
4H   z 
P  P1   0 g sinh 1  tan . 
  4 H

Then the pressure at the bottom of the gradient

zone (z = H = 4 m) becomes

 4(4m)  1   4 1 kN
P2  8.16 kPa  (1040 kg / m 3 )(9.81 m / s 2 )  sinh  tan . ( )
    4 4  1000 kg.m / s 2

= 54.0 kPa (gage)

FLUID MECHANICS I CHAPTER 2
 h =0.381m
B
 
C

mercury=133361.6 N/m3
h2=0.762m
water=1000 kg/m3

A
 Pa
D

1

h2
A
h1
B C

2
3-4 INTRODUCTION TO FLUID STATICS
The only stress we deal with in fluid statics is the normal stress in this section, which is
the pressure, and the variation of pressure is due only to the weight of the fluid.

Fluid statics is used to determine the forces acting on floating or submerged bodies.
The design of many engineering systems such as water dams and liquid storage tanks
requires the determination of the forces acting on the surfaces using fluid statics.

Figure 3-23
Hoover Dam
3-5 HYDROSTATIC FORCES ON SUBMERGED PLANE SURFACES

On a plane surface, the hydrostatic forces form a system of parallel forces, and
we often need to determine the magnitude of the force and its point of application,
which is called the center of pressure.
Consider the top surface of a flat plate of arbitrary shape completely submerged in
a liquid, as shown in Fig 3-24 together with its top view.

Figure 3-24
When analyzing hydrostatic forces
on submerged surfaces, the
atmospheric pressure can be
subtracted for simplicity when it
acts on both sides of the structure.
Figure 3-25 Hydrostatic forces on an inclined plane surface completely submerged in a liquid.
The absolute pressure at any point on the plate is: (Fig. 3-25)

P  P0  gh  P0  gy sin  (3-13)

The resultant hydrostatic force FR acting on the surface is determined by

integrating the force PdA acting on a differential area dA over the entire
surface area,

FR   PdA   ( P0  gy sin  )dA  P0 A  g sin   ydA (3-14)

A A A

But the first moment of area  ydA

A
is related to the y-coordinate of the centroid(or center) of the surface by

1
y c   ydA (3-15)
AA
Substituting,

FR  ( P0 gy C sin  ) A  ( P0  ghC ) A  PC A  Pave A (3-16)

where PC = P0 + ρ ghC is the pressure at the

centroid of the surface, which is equivalent to the
average pressure on the surface, and hC=yC sin 
is the vertical distance of the centroid from the
free surface of the liquid (Fig 3-26).

Thus we conclude that:

The magnitude of the resultant force acting on a
plane surface of a completely submerged plate in
a homogeneous (constant density) fluid is equal to
the product of the pressure PC at the centroid of
the surface and the area A of the surface
(Fig 3-27).
Figure 3-26
The pressure at the centroid of a
surface is equivalent to the average
pressure on the surface
 The effect of P0 on force is simply to add an
equivalent depth heqiv=P0/  g to hC; that is, to
assume the presence of an additional liquid layer of
thickness heq on top of the liquid with absolute
vacuum above

The point of intersection of the line of action of the

resultant force and the surface is the center of
pressure. The vertical location of the line of action
is determined by equating the moment of the
resultant force to the moment of the distributed
pressure force about the x-axis. It gives:

Figure 3-27
The resultant force acting on a plane
surface is equal to the product of the
.
pressure at the centroid of the surface
and the surface area, and its line of
action passes through the center of
pressure.
y P FR   yPdA   y ( P0  gy sin  )dA  P0  ydA  g sin   y 2 dA (3-17)
A A A A

or y P FR  P0 yC A  g sin I xx , 0 (3-18)

where yP is the distance of the center of pressure from the x-axis (point O in Fig 3-27) and

I xx , 0   y 2 dA
A

is the second moment of area (also called the area moment of inertia) about the x-
axis. The second moments of area about two parallel axes are related to each other
by the parallel axis theorem, which in this case is expressed as:

I xx , 0  I xx ,C  yC A
2
(3-19)
where Ixx,C is the second moment of area about the x-axis passing through the
centroid of the area and yC (the y-coordinate of the centroid) is the distance
between the two parallel axes. Substituting the FR relation from Eq. 3-16 and the
Ixx,O relation from Eq. 3-19 into Eq. 3-18 and solving for yP gives

I xx ,C
y P  yC 
 yC  P0 /( g sin  )A (3-20)

For P0 = 0, which is usually the case when the atmospheric pressure is ignored, it simplifies
to
I xx,C
.
yP  yC  (3-21)
yC A

Knowing yP, the vertical distance of the center of pressure from the free surface is
determined from hP = yP sinθ .
The Ixx,c values for some common areas are given in Fig 3-28. For these and other
areas that possess symmetry about the y-axis, the center of pressure lies on the y-
axis directly below the centroid. The location of the center of pressure in such
cases is simply the point on the surface of the vertical plane of symmetry at a
distance hP from the free surface.

Figure 3-28 The centroid and the centroidal moments of inertia for some common geometries.
Pressure acts normal to the surface, and the hydrostatic forces acting on a flat plate
of any shape form a volume whose base is the plate area and whose height is the
linearly varying pressure, as shown in Fig 3-29 This virtual pressure prism has an
interesting physical interpretation: its volume is equal to the magnitude of the
resultant hydrostatic force acting on the plate since,

FR   PdA

and the line of action of this force passes

through the centroid of this omogeneous
prism.

Figure 3-29 The hydrostatic forces

acting on a plane surface form a volume
whose base(left face) is the surface
 Special Case: Hydrostatic force acting on the top surface of a submerged rectangular
plate for tilted, vertical, and horizontal case:

(Figure 3-30a) Tilted Rectangular Plate: FR  PC A  P0  g ( s  b / 2) sin  ab (3-22)

Force acts at a perpendicular distance equivalent to hP  y P sin 

from free surface and directly from under centroid of the plate. From Eq. 3-20, yp
is found to be:
ab 3 / 12
yp sb/ 2
s  b / 2  P0 /( g sin  )ab
2
(3-23)
b
sb/ 2
12s  b / 2  P0 /( g sin  )

For the assumption of the top edge of the plate to be at free

surface s sets to zero and Eq. 3-22 becomes:

(Figure 3-30a) Tilted Rectangular Plate (s = 0): FR  P0  g (b sin  ) / 2ab (3-24)

For a completely submerged vertical plate ( ) 90 0

whose top edge is horizontal, the hydrostatic force can be obtained by setting sin = 1 (Fig 3-30b).
Figure 3-30 Hydrostatic force acting on the top of a submerged
rectangular plate for tilted, vertical and horizontal cases.

(Figure 3-30b) Vertical rectangular plate: FR  P0  g ( s  b / 2)ab (3-25)

Vertical rectangular plate (s=0): FR  P0  gb / 2ab (3-26)

The hydrostatic force acting on a horizontal rectangular surface is
(3-27)
Horizontal rectangular plate (Figure 3-30c): FR  ( P0  gh)ab
 EXAMPLE 3-7 Hydrostatic Force Acting on the Door of a Submerged Car
A heavy car plunges into a lake during an accident and lands at the bottom of the
lake on its wheels(Fig 3-31). The door is 1.2 m high and 1 m wide, and the top edge
of the door is 8 m below the free surface of the water. Determine the hydrostatic
force on the door and the location of the pressure center, and discuss if the driver
can open the door.
Solution:
The average pressure on the door is the pressure
Figure 3-31
value at the centroid (midpoint) of the door and is
Submerged Car
determined to be

Pave  PC  ghC  g ( s  b / 2)
1 kN
 (1000 kg / m 3 )(9.81 m / s 2 )(8  1.2 / 2m)( 2
)
1000 kg .m / s

 84.4 kN / m 2
Then the resultant hydrostatic force on the door becomes

FR  Pave A  (84.4 kN / m 2 )(1 m * 1.2 m)  101.3 kN

The pressure center is directly under the midpoint of the door, and its distance from the surface
of the lake is determined from Eq.(3-23) by setting P0 = 0 to be
 2 2
b b 1 .2 1 .2
yP  s   8   8.61 m
2 12( s  b / 2) 2 12(8  1.2 / 2)
 3-6 HYDROSTATIC FORCES ON SUBMERGED CURVED SURFACES

The easiest way to determine the resultant hydrostatic force F R acting on a two-dimensional
curved surface is to determine the horizontal and vertical components F H and FV
separately(Figure 3-32).

The weight of the enclosed liquid block of volume V is simply W  gV

and it acts downward through the centroid of this volume. Noting that the fluid block is
in static equilibrium, the force balances in the horizontal and vertical directions give,

Figure 3-32 Determination

of the hydrostatic force
acting on a submerged
curved surface.
 Horizontal force component on curved surface: FH = F x (3-28)

Vertical force component on curved surface: FV= Fy + W (3-29)

where the summation F + W is a vector addition (i.e., add magnitudes if

both act in the same direction and subtract if they act in opposite
directions). Thus, we conclude that the magnitude of the resultant
hydrostatic force acting on the curved surface is

FR  F 2
H F 2
V
(3-30)

and the tangent of the angle it makes with the horizontal is

tan   FV / FH (3-31)
 Figure 3-33
When a curved surface is above the liquid,
the weight of the liquid and the vertical
component of the hydrostatic force act in the
opposite directions.

The pressure forces can be expressed as a single equivalent

resultant force and directed to a single point as force system
as shown in Fig. 3-34.
Plane surface in a multilayered fluid: For a plane surface, it can be expressed as

(Figure 3-35) FR   FR ,i   PC ,i Ai (3-32)

where,
PC,i  P0  i ghC,i (3-33)

is the pressure at the centroid of the portion of the surface in fluid i and Ai is
the area of the plate in that fluid.

Figure 3-35
The hydrostatic force on a surface submerged
in a multilayered fluid can be determined by
considering parts of the surface in different
fluids as different surfaces.
 EXAMPLE 3-8 A Gravity-Controlled Cylindrical Gate

A long solid cylinder of radius 0.8 m hinged at point A is used as an automatic gate, as
shown in Fig 3-36. When the water level reaches 5 m, the gate opens by turning about the
hinge at point A Determine

(a) the hydrostatic force acting on the cylinder and its line of action when the gate opens
and,

(b) the weight of the cylinder per m length of the cylinder.

 Figure 3-36 .Schematic for Example 3-8 and the
free-body diagram of the fluid underneath the
cylinder
EXAMPLE 3-8 A Gravity-Controlled
Cylindrical Gate
A long solid cylinder of radius 0.8
m hinged at point A is used as an
automatic gate, as shown in Fig 3-
36. When the water level reaches
5 m, the gate opens by turning
about the hinge at point A
Determine

(a) the hydrostatic force acting on

the cylinder and its line of action
when the gate opens and,
Solution:
a) (b) the weight of the cylinder per
m length of the cylinder.
F H  F X  Pave A   gh C A   g ( s  R / 2 ) A
1 kN
 (1000 kg / m 3 )( 9 . 81 m / s 2 )( 4 . 2  0 . 8 / 2 m )( 0 . 8 m * 1 m )( )
1000 kg .m / s 2
 36 . 1 kN
 Vertical force on horizontal surface (upward):
F Y  P ave A   gh C A   gh bottom A
1 kN
 (1000 kg / m 3 )( 9 . 81 m / s 2 )( 5 m )( 0 . 8 m * 1 m )( 2
)
1000 kg . m / s
 39 . 2 kN
Weight of fluid block per m length (downward):

W  mg  gV  g ( R 2  R 2 / 4)(1 m)
1 kN
 (1000 kg / m 3 )(9.81 m / s 2 )(0.8 m) 2 (1   / 4)(1 m)( )
1000 kg.m / s 2
 1.3 kN

Therefore, the net upward vertical force is FV  FY  W  39.2  1.3  37.9 kN

Then the magnitude and direction
of the hydrostatic force acting on FR  F 2 H  F 2V  36.12  37.92  52.3 kN
the cylindrical surface becomes

tan   FV / FH  37.9 / 36.1  1.05    46.4 

 (b)

When the water level is 5 m high, the gate is about to open and thus the reaction
force at the bottom of the cylinder is zero. Then the forces other than those at the
hinge acting on the cylinder are its weight, acting through the center, and the
hydrostatic force exerted by water. Taking a moment about point A at the location of
the hinge and equating it to zero gives

FR R sin   Wcylinder R  0  Wcylinder  FR sin   (52.3 kN )(sin 46.4  )  37.9 kN

 3-7 BOUYANCY AND STABILITY

The area of the top (and also bottom) surface of the plate is “A”, and its distance to the
free surface is “s”. The pressures at the top and bottom surfaces of the plate  f gs

and  f g ( s  h) , respectively. Then the hydrostatic force Ftop   f gsA

acts downward on the top surface, and the larger force Fbottom   f g ( s  h) A

acts upward on the bottom surface of the plate. The difference between these two
forces is a net upward force, which is the buoyant force,

Figure 3-37 A flat plate of uniform thickness h

submerged in a liquid parallel to the free surface.
 Consider Figure 3-37:
FB  Fbottom  Ftop   f g(s  h) A  f gsA  f ghA  f gV (3-34)

where V = hA is the volume of the plate. But the relation  f gV

is simply the weight of the liquid whose volume is equal to the volume of the plate.
Thus, we conclude that the buoyant force acting on the plate is equal to the weight
of the liquid displaced by the plate.

For floating bodies, the weight of the entire body must be equal to the buoyant
force, which is the weight of the fluid whose volume is equal to the volume of the
submerged portion of the floating body. That is,

Vsubmerged  ave ,body

FB  W   f gV submerged   ave.body gVtotal   (3-35)
Vtotal f
Figure 3-38
The buoyant forces acting on a solid body
submerged in a fluid and on a fluid body of
the same shape at the same depth are
identical.

The buoyant force FB acts upward through

the centroid C of the displaced volume and is
equal in magnitude to the weight W of the
displaced fluid, but is opposite in direction.

For a solid of uniform density, its weight W,

also acts through the centroid, but its
magnitude is not necessarily equal to that of
the fluid it displaces.

(Here Ws > W and thus WS > FB, this solid

body would sink.)
Figure 3-39 A solid body dropped into a fluid will sink,
float or remain at rest any point in the fluid, depending
on its density relative to the density of the fluid.
 EXAMPLE 3-9 Weight Loss of an Object in Seawater
A crane is used to lower weights into the sea (density = 1025 kg/m3) for an underwater
construction project (Fig 3-40). Determine the tension in the rope of the crane due to a
rectangular 0.4 m x 0.4 m x 3 m concrete block (density = 2300 kg/m3) when it is;
(a) suspended in the air and
(b) (b) completely immersed in water V  (0.4 m)(0.4 m)(3)  0.48 m 3
The densities are given to be 1025 kg/m3 for
seawater and 2300 kg/m3 for concrete.
FT ,air  W   concrete gV
1 kN
 (2300 kg / m 3 )(9.81 m / s 2 )(0.48 m 3 )( 2
)
1000 kg.m / s
 10.8 kN

b) When the block is immersed in water, there is the additional force

of buoyancy acting upward. The force balance in this case gives

1 kN
FB   f gV  (1025 kg / m 3 )(9.81 m / s 2 )(0.48 m 3 )( )  4.8 kN
1000 kg .m / s 2

FT , water  W  FK  10.8  4.8  6.0 kN

Figure 3.40 Schematic for Example 3-9

Solution:

A concrete block is lowered into the sea. The tension in the rope is to be determined
before and after the block is in water.

Assumptions

a) The buoyancy of air is negligible.

b) The weight of the ropes is negligible.

Properties

The densities are given to be 1025 kg/m3 for

seawater and 2300 kg/m3 for concrete.

Analysis

a) Consider the free-body diagram of the concrete block. The forces

acting on the concrete block in air are its weight and the upward pull
action(tension) by the rope. These two forces must be equal to the weight
of the block.
 Stability of Immersed and Floating Bodies
An important application of the buoyancy concept is the assessment of the
stability of immersed and floating bodies with no external attachments. This topic
is of great importance in the design of ships and submarines shown in Fig 3-41
are three balls at rest on the floor. The rotational stability of an immersed body
depends on the relative locations of the center of gravity G of the body and the
center of buoyancy B, which is the centroid of the displaced volume. An
immersed body is stable if the body is bottom-heavy and thus point G is directly
below point B (Fig 3-42).

Figure 3-42
An immersed naturally buoyant body is (a) stable if the
center of gravity G is directly below the center of buoyancy
Figure 3-41 B, (b) neutrally stable if G and B are coincident, and (c)
Stability is easily understood unstable if G is directly above B
by analyzing a ball on the floor.
An immersed body whose center of gravity G is
directly above point B is unstable, and any
disturbance will cause this body to turn upside
down.

A body for which G and B coincide is neutrally

stable(Figure 3-42).

The restoring moment in the case shown in Fig. 3-

43 is counterclockwise and causes the body to
rotate counter-clockwise so as to align point G
vertically with point B.

A measure of stability for floating bodies is the

metacentric height GM, which is the distance
between the center of gravity G and the metacenter
M.

Figure 3-43 When the center of gravity G of an immersed

neutrally buoyant body is not vertically aligned with the center of
buoyancy B of the body, it is not in an equilibrium state and would
rotate to its stable state, even without any disturbance.
Figure 3-44
A floating body is stable if the body is bottom-heavy
and thus the center of gravity G is below the centroid
B of the body, or if the metacenter M is above point G.
However, the body is unstable if point M is below
point G.
 3–8 . FLUIDS IN RIGID-BODY MOTION

Figure 3-45, A ball in a trough between

two hills is stable for small disturbances,
but unstable for large ones

Figure 3-46 . The surface and body forces  

acting on a differential fluid element in the  F  m . a (3-36)

vertical direction.
where m  dV  dxdydz (3-37)
is the mass of the fluid element,
 
a is the acceleration, and F is the net force acting on the element.
Taking the pressure at the center of the element to be P, the pressures at the top and bottom
surfaces of the element can be expressed as P  (P / z ) dz / 2 and P  (  P /  z ) dz / 2 (3-38)
respectively. Noting that the pressure force acting on a surface is equal to the average
pressure multiplied by the surface area, the net surface force acting on the element in the z-
direction is the difference between the pressure forces acting on the bottom and top faces,

P dz P dz P
FS , z  ( P  )dxdy  ( P  )dxdy   dxdydz (3-39)
z 2 z 2 z

Similarly, the net surface forces in the x- and y-directions are

, P P
FS , x   dxdydz and FS , y   dxdydz (3-40)
x y
Then the surface force (which is simply the pressure force) acting on the entire
element can be expressed in vector form as
   
 FS  FS , x i  FS , y j  FS , z k (3-41)

P  P  P  
 ( i j k )dxdydz    Pdxdydz (3-42)
x y z
where i ,j , and k are the unit vectors in the x-, y-, and z-directions, respectively,
and
  P  P  P 
P , P  i j k (3-43)
x y z

is the pressure gradient. Note that the V or “del” is a vector operator

that is used to express the gradients of a scalar function compactly
in vector form. Also, the gradient of a scalar function is expressed in
a given direction and thus it is a vector quantity.

The only body force acting on the fluid element is the weight of
the element acting in the negative z-direction, and it is
expressed as

FB , z   gm   gdxdydz (3-44)

or in vector form as

   (3-45)
 FB , z   gm k   gdxdydz k

Then the total force acting on the element becomes

     (3-46)
 F   F s   F B   ( P  g k )dxdydz
   
Substituting into Newton’s second law of motion  F  m . a  dxdydz. a
and canceling “dx dy dz”, the general equation of motion for a fluid that acts as a rigid body
(no shear stresses) is determined to be

  
Rigid-body motion of fluids:  P  g k    a (3-47)

Resolving the vectors into their components, this relation can be expressed more explicitly as

P  P  P     
i j k  g k    (a x i  a y j  a z k ) (3-48)
x y z

or, in scalar form in the three orthogonal directions, as

Accelerating fluids:
P P
  a y
P
  a x    (g  az ) (3-49)
x y z

where ax, ay , and az are accelerations in the x-, y-, and z-directions, respectively.
 Special Case 1: Fluids at Rest Special Case 2: Free Fall of a Fluid Body
Fluids at rest have the following equations: Free falling fluids have the following equations:

P P P P
0 (3-50)    0  P  cons. (3-53)
x x y z
P
0 (3-51)
y

dP
  g (3-52)
dz

Figure 3-47
The effect of acceleration on the pressure of a
liquid during free fall and upward acceleration.
 Acceleration on a Straight Path
For acceleration on a straight path, the equations of
motion for accelerating fluids (Eqs. 3-49) reduce to

P P P
  a x ,  0,    (g  az ) (3-54)
x y z

Therefore, pressure is independent of y. Then the total

differential of P = P(x, z), which is,

(P / x ) dx  (P / z ) dz becomes

dP   a x dx   ( g  a z )dz (3-55)

For  = constant,
Figure 3-48.Rigid body motion of a
The pressure difference between two points 1 and liquid in a linearly accelerating tank.
2 in the fluid is determined by integration to be

P2  P1   a x ( x 2  x1 )   ( g  a z )( z 2  z1 ) (3-56)
 Taking point 1 to be the origin (x = 0, z = 0) where the pressure is P0 and point 2
to be any point in the fluid (no subscript), the pressure distribution can be
expressed as

Pressure Variation: P  P0  a x x   ( g  a z ) z (3-57)

The vertical rise (or drop) of the free surface at point 2 relative to point 1 can be
determined by choosing both 1 and 2 on the free surface (so that P1 = P2), and
solving Eq. 3-56 for z2 - z1 (Fig 3-49),

Figure 3-49 Lines of constant pressure (which are

the projections of the surfaces of constant pressure
on the xz-plane) in a linearly accelerating liquid, and
the vertical rise.
 ax
Vertical Rise of Surface: z s  z s 2  z z1   ( x 2  x1 ) (3-58)
g  az
where zs is the z-coordinate of the liquid’s free surface. The equation for surfaces of
constant pressure, called isobars, is obtained from Eq. 3-55 by setting dP = 0 and
replacing z by zisobar, which is the z-coordinate (the vertical distance) of the surface
as a function of x. It gives
dz izobar ax
Constant Pressure Surfaces:   const (3-59)
dx g  az

Thus we conclude that the isobars (including the free surface) in an incompressible
fluid with constant acceleration in linear motion are parallel surfaces whose slope in
the xz-plane is

dz izobar ax
Slope of: Slope     tan  (3-60)
dx g  az

Obviously, the free surface of such a fluid is a plane surface, and it is inclined unless
ax = 0 (the acceleration is in the vertical direction only). Also, the conservation of
mass together with the assumption of incompressibility ( 
= constant) requires that
the volume of the fluid remain constant before and during acceleration. Therefore, the
rise of fluid level on one side must be balanced by a drop of fluid level on the other
side.
Example: A water tank is being towed on an uphill road at constant acceleration. The
angle the free surface of water makes with the horizontal is to be determined, and the
solution is to be repeated for the downhill motion case.
 Rotation in a Cylindrical Container

Container as shown in Fig. 3-50 rotates at a

constant angular velocity of “w” around its axis.

The equations of motion for rotating fluids

reduce to(Eq. 3-49),

P P P
 rw 2 ,  0 , and   g (3-61)
r  z

Then the total differential of P = P(r,z) which is

dP  (P / r ) dr  (P / z ) dz becomes

Figure 3-50 Rigid Body motion of a
liquid in a rotating vertical cylinder
dP  rw 2 dr  gdz (3-62)
container.
The centripetal acceleration of a fluid particle rotating with a constant angular velocity of
v at a distance r from the axis of rotation is rv2 and is directed radially toward the axis of
rotation (negative r-direction). That is,
 The equation for surfaces of constant pressure is
obtained by setting dP = 0 and replacing z by
zisobar, which is the z-value (the vertical distance) of
the surface as a function of r. It gives

d z ,izobar rw 2
 (3-63)
dr g

Integrating, the equation for the surfaces

of constant pressure is determined to be
Figure 3-51.Surfaces of constant
pressure in a rotating liquid.

w2 2
Surfaces of Constant Pressure: z izobar  r  C1 (3-64)
2g

which is the equation of a parabola. Thus we conclude that the surfaces of constant
pressure, including the free surface, are paraboloids of revolution (Fig. 3-51).
The value of the integration constant C1 is different for different paraboloids of constant
pressure (i.e., for different isobars). For the free surface, setting r = 0 in Eq. 3-64 gives
zisobar(0) = C1 = hc, where hc is the distance of the free surface from the bottom of the

container along the axis of rotation (Fig. 3-50).

Then the equation for the free surface becomes

w2 2 (3-65)
zs  r  hc
2g
where zs is the distance of the free surface from the bottom of the container at radius r. The
underlying assumption in this analysis is that there is sufficient liquid in the container so
that the entire bottom surface remains covered with liquid. The volume of a cylindrical
shell element of radius r, height zs, and thickness dr is dV  2rz s dr

Then the volume of the paraboloid formed by the free surface is

R R
w2 2 2 2
2 w R
V   2z s rdr  2  ( r  hc )rdr  R (  hc ) (3-66)
r 0 r 0
2g 4g

Since mass is conserved and density is constant, this volume must be equal to the original
volume of the fluid in the container, which is
V  R 2 h 0
(3-67)
where h0 is the original height of the fluid in the container with no rotation. Setting
these two volumes equal to each other, the height of the fluid along the centerline of
the cylindrical container becomes

w2 R 2
hc  h0  (3-68)
4g
Then the equation of the free surface becomes
(3-69)
w2 2
Free Surface: z s  h0  ( R  2r 2 )
4g
The maximum vertical height occurs at the edge where r = R, and
the maximum height difference between the edge and the center
of the free surface is determined by evaluating zs at r = R and
also at r = 0, and taking their difference,
2
Maximum Height Difference: z w
s , max  z s ( R )  z s ( 0)  R 2
(3-70)
2g
When  = constant, the pressure difference between two points 1 and 2 in the fluid is

determined by ,ntegrating dP  rw 2 dr  gdz This yields,

 w 2 2
P2  P1  (r 2  r 21 )  g ( z 2  z1 ) (3-71)
2
Taking point 1 to be the origin (r = 0, z = 0) where the pressure
is P0 and point 2 to be any point in the fluid (no subscript), the
pressure distribution can be expressed as
w 2 2 (3-72)
Pressure Variation: P  P0  r  gz
2

.
Note that at a fixed radius, the pressure varies hydrostatically in
the vertical direction, as in a fluid at rest. For a fixed vertical
distance z, the pressure varies with the square of the radial
distance r, increasing from the centerline toward the outer edge.
In any horizontal plane, the pressure difference between the
center and edge of the container of radius R;

is w 2 R 2
P 
2
 EXAMPLE 3–13 Rising of a Liquid During Rotation
A 20-cm-diameter, 60-cm-high vertical cylindrical container, shown in Fig. 3–55, is
partially filled with 50-cm-high liquid whose density is 850 kg/m3. Now the cylinder is
rotated at a constant speed. Determine the rotational speed at which the liquid will
start spilling from the edges of the container.

Since zs(0) is positive, our assumption is validated.

Example: A 0.6m diameter vertical cylindrical tank open to the atmosphere contains
0.3m high water. The tank is now rotated about the centerline, and the water level drops
at the center while it rises at the edges Determine the angular velocity at which the
bottom of the tank will first be exposed. Also determine the maximum water height at this
moment.

Analysis Taking the center of the bottom surface of the rotating

vertical cylinder as the origin (r = 0, z = 0), the equation for the free
surface of the liquid is given as