FLUID STATICS

Dr. Zaib Ali

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 Outline
• Pressure at a Point
• Basic Equation for Pressure Field
• Pressure variation in a Fluid at Rest
• Standard Atmosphere
• Measurement of Pressure
• Manometry
• Mechanical and Electronic Pressure Measuring Devices
• Hydrostatic Force on a Plane Surface
• Pressure Prism
• Hydrostatic Force on a Curved Surface
• Buoyancy, Floating, and Stability
• Rigid-Body Motion

2
 Learning Objectives
• Determine the pressure at various locations in a fluid at rest.
• Explain the concept of manometers and apply appropriate
equations to determine pressures.
• Calculate the hydrostatic pressure force on a plane or curved
submerged surface.
• Calculate the buoyant force and discuss the stability of
floating or submerged objects.

3
 Pressure at a Point
• Indicates the normal force per unit area at a given point acting on a given
plane within the fluid mass of interest.
• How the pressure at a point varies with the orientation of the plane passing
through the point ?
• Consider the free-body diagram within a fluid mass. In which there are no
shearing stress, the only external forces acting on the wedge are due to the
pressure and the weight.
Hydrostatic pressure.
• The equation of motion (Newton’s second law, F=ma) in the y and z direction
are,

Taking limits of
 Basic Equation for Pressure Field
• To obtain a basic equation for pressure field in a static fluid.
• Apply Newton’s second law to a differential fluid mass
• There are two types of forces acting on the mass of fluid: surface force and
body force.

Resultant surface force in the y direction

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 Basic Equation for Pressure Field
Similarly, for the x and z directions the resultant surface forces are

pressure gradient

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Basic Equation for Pressure Field

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 Pressure Variation in a Fluid at Rest

Pressure does not depend on x or y.

Pressure gradient in the vertical direction is negative; that

is, the pressure decreases as we move upward in a fluid at
rest.

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 Incompressible Fluid
Variation in g is negligible, so our main concern is with
the possible variation in the fluid density.
A fluid with constant density is called an incompressible fluid.

Hydrostatic distribution
In an incompressible fluid at rest the pressure varies
linearly with depth.
Pressure head
9
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 in which
the fluid is held.
 Incompressible Fluid
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 in which
the fluid is held.

The transmission of pressure throughout a stationary

fluid is the principle upon which many hydraulic 10
devices are based.
 Example
Because of a leak in a buried gasoline storage tank, water has seeped in to the depth shown
in Figure. If the specific gravity of the gasoline is SG=0.68. Determine the pressure at the
gasoline-water interface and at the bottom of the tank. Express the pressure in units of
lb/ft2, lb/in2, and as pressure head in feet of water.

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Example

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 Compressible Fluid
• For compressible fluid, ρ=ρ(p,T) , how to determine the pressure variation?
• The density must be expressed as a function of one of the other variable in the equation.
• For example: determine the pressure variation in the ideal gas.

nature of the variation of temperature with elevation.

For example, if we assume that the temperature has a constant value To over the range z1 to z2 (isothermal
conditions) , it then follows from that

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 Example
In 2007 the Burj Dubai skyscraper being built in the United Arab Emirates reached the stage in its
construction where it became the world’s tallest building. When completed it is expected to be at least
2275 ft tall, although its final height remains a secret.

(a) Estimate the ratio of the pressure at the projected 2275- ft top of the building to the pressure at its
base, assuming the air to be at a common temperature of 59 oF (b) Compare the pressure calculated in
part (a) with that obtained by assuming the air to be incompressible with γ = 0.0765 lb/ft3 at 14.7 psi
(abs) (values for air at standard sea level conditions).

For the assumed isothermal conditions, and treating air as a compressible fluid

If the air is treated as an incompressible fluid

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 Standard Atmosphere
The standard atmosphere is an idealized representation of mean conditions in the earth’s atmosphere at
middle latitude.

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 Measurement of Pressure
• Pressure is designated as either absolute pressure or gage pressure.
• Absolute pressure is measured relative to a perfect vacuum (absolute zero pressure), whereas
gage pressure is measured relative to the local atmospheric pressure.
• Thus, a gage pressure of zero corresponds to a pressure that is equal to the local atmospheric
pressure.
• Absolute pressures are always positive, but gage pressures can be either positive or negative
depending on whether the pressure is above atmospheric pressure (a positive value) or below
atmospheric pressure (a negative value).
• A negative gage pressure is also referred to as a suction or vacuum pressure.

pgage = pabsolute - patmosphere

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 Barometers
• Simplest form consists of a glass tube closed at one end with the open end immersed in a
container of mercury.
• The column of mercury will come to an equilibrium position where its weight plus the force
due to the vapor pressure (which develops in the space above the column) balances the force
due to the atmospheric pressure. Thus,

pvapor = 0.00016kPa (which is negligible)

𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑚 ≈ 𝛾ℎ

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 Example
A mountain lake has an average temperature of 10 oC and a maximum depth of 40 m. The barometric
pressure is 598 mm Hg. 10 °C. Determine the absolute pressure (in pascals) at the deepest part of the lake.

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 Manometry
• A standard technique for measuring pressure involves the use of liquid column in vertical or inclined
tubes.
• Pressure measuring devices based on this technique are called manometers.
• The mercury barometer is an example of one type of manometer, but there are many other
configuration possible, depending on the particular application.

▪ Piezometer Tube.
▪ U-Tube manometer.
▪ Inclined-Tube manometer.

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 Piezometer Tube
• The simplest type of manometer consists of a vertical tube, open at the top, and attached to the
container in which the pressure is desired.

PA : gage pressure ( P0=0)

γ1 :the specific weight of the liquid in the container
h1: measured from the meniscus at the upper surface to point(1)

• Only suitable if the pressure in the container is

greater than atmospheric pressure, and the
pressure to be measured must be relatively small so
the required height of the column is reasonable.

• The fluid in the container must be a liquid rather

than a gas.

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 Simple U-Tube Manometer
• The fluid in the manometer is called the gage fluid. A→(1)→(2)→(3)→Open

If pipe A contains a gas then γ1h 1 is negligible.

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 Simple U-Tube Manometer
The U-tube manometer is also widely used to
measure the difference in pressure between
two containers or two points in a given system.
 Example
A closed tank contains compressed air and oil (SGoil = 0.90) as is shown in Figure. A U-tube
manometer using mercury (SGHg= 13.6) is connected to the tank as shown. For column heights h1 =
36 in., h2 = 6 in., and h3 = 9 in., determine the pressure reading (in psi) of the gage.

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Example

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 Inclined-Tube Manometer
To measure small pressure changes, a manometer of the type shown in Fig is used.

The inclined-tube manometer is often used to measure

small differences in gas pressures so that if pipes A and B
contain a gas then

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 Mechanical and Electronic Devices
• Manometers are not well suited for measuring very high pressures, or pressures that are changing
rapidly with time.
• To overcome some of these problems numerous other types of pressure-measuring instruments
have been developed.
• Most of these make use of the idea that when a pressure acts on an elastic structure, the structure
will deform, and this deformation can be related to the magnitude of the pressure.

• Bourdon Pressure Gage

• Aneroid Barometer
• Bourdon Gage + LVDT
• Diaphragm + Strain Gage

Bourdon Pressure Gage

Bourdon Gage + LVDT

Diaphragm + Strain Gage
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 Hydrostatic Forces on a Plane Surface
• When a surface is submerged in a fluid, forces develop on the surface due to the hydrostatic
pressure distribution of the fluid.
• The determination of these forces is important in the design of storage tanks, ships, dams, and
other hydraulic structures.

Pressure distribution and resultant hydrostatic Pressure distribution on the ends of an open
force on the bottom of an open tank (Uniform tank (Non-uniform Distribution).
Distribution).

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 Hydrostatic Forces on a Plane Surface
What is the direction, location, and magnitude of the
resultant force acting on one side of this area?
The hydrostatic force on any element of the surface acts
normal to the surface dF = pdA.
The resultant force
 Hydrostatic Forces on a Plane Surface
• The resultant force do not pass through the centroid of the area

Moments around the x axis:

second moment of the area with respect to x-axis (moment of inertia)

Using parallel axis theorem

 Hydrostatic Forces on a Plane Surface
Similarly

• If the submerged area is symmetrical with respect to an axis passing through the centroid
and parallel to either the x or y axes, Ixyc=0.

• The point through which the resultant force acts is called the center of
pressure.

• As yc increases the center of pressure moves closer to the centroid of the area.
Properties For Some Common Areas
 Example
The 4-m-diameter circular gate of Figure is located in the inclined wall of a large reservoir
containing water ( γ =9.80 kN/m3). The gate is mounted on a shaft along its horizontal diameter, and
the water depth is 10 m above the shaft. Determine : (a) the magnitude and location of the resultant
force exerted on the gate by the water, and (b) the moment that would have to be applied to the
shaft to open the gate
Example
Example
 Pressure Prism

The magnitude of the resultant fluid force is

equal to the volume of the pressure prism and
passes through its centroid.

35
The resultant force is still equal in magnitude to the volume of the
pressure prism, and it passes through the centroid of the volume.
Pressure Prism

Although it is usually
convenient to measure distances
along the inclined surface, the
pressure developed depend on
the vertical distances.

• The resultant fluid force on the surface is that

due only to the gage pressure contribution of
the liquid in contact with the surface – the
atmospheric pressure does not contribute to this
resultant.
• Not the case if the surface pressure of
the liquid is different from atmospheric
pressure (e.g. a closed tank). 36
 Example
A pressurized contains oil (SG = 0.90) and has a square, 0.6-m by 0.6-m
plate bolted to its side, as is illustrated in Figure. When the pressure
gage on the top of the tank reads 50kPa, what is the magnitude and
location of the resultant force on the attached plate? The outside of the
tank is atmospheric pressure.

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 Example
The resultant force on the plate (having an area A) is due to the
components, F1 and F2 , where F1 and F2 are due to the rectangular and
triangular portions of the pressure distribution, respectively.

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Example

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 Hydrostatic Force On a Curved Surfaces
• Many surfaces of interest (such as those associated with dams, pipes, and tanks) are
nonplanar.
• Consider the curved section BC of the open tank.
• F1 and F2 can be determined from the relationships for planar surfaces.
• The weight W is simply the specific weight of the fluid times the enclosed
volume and acts through the center of gravity (CG) of the mass of fluid contained
within the volume.

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 Hydrostatic Force On a Curved Surfaces
• For this force system to be in equilibrium, the
horizontal component FH must be equal in
magnitude and collinear with F2 and the vertical
component FV equal in magnitude and collinear with
the resultant of the vertical forces F1 and W.

• This follows since the three forces acting on the fluid

mass (F2 , the resultant of F1 and W, and the resultant
force that the tank exerts on the mass) must form a
concurrent force system.

and the magnitude of the resultant is

obtained from the equation

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 Example
The 6-ft-diameter drainage conduit of figure a is half full of water at
rest. Determine the magnitude and line of action of the resultant force
that the water exerts on a 1-ft length of the curved section BC of the
conduit wall.

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Example

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Example
 Buoyancy, Flotation, and Stability
• Buoyancy is the net vertical force acting
on any body which is immersed in a
liquid, or floating on its surface due to
liquid pressure. FB
• Consider a body of arbitrary shape,
having a volume V, that is immersed in a
fluid,
• We enclose the body in a parallelepiped
and draw a free- body diagram of
parallelepiped with body removed as
shown in (b).
 Buoyancy, Flotation, and Stability
• FB is the force the body is exerting on the fluid.
• W is the weight of the shaded fluid volume
(parallelepiped minus body).
• A is the horizontal area of the upper (or lower)
surface of the parallelepiped.

For a submerged body, the buoyancy force of the fluid is

equal to the weight of displaced fluid
 Archimedes’ Principle
• For a submerged body, the buoyancy force of
the fluid is equal to the weight of displaced
fluid and is directly vertically upward.
• The relation reportedly was used by
Archimedes in 220 B.C.
• The line of action of buoyancy force, which
may be found using the method of “hydrostatic
force on submerged surfaces,” acts through the
centroid of the displaced volume.

• The point through which the buoyant force acts is called the center of buoyancy.
• C.G: The body force due to gravity on an object act through its center of gravity (C.G.).
• The buoyancy force passes through the centroid of the displaced volume.
 Example
A spherical buoy has a diameter of 1.5 m, weighs 8.50kN, and is
anchored to the seafloor with a cable as is shown in Figure E2.10a.
Although the buoy normally floats on the surface, at certain times the
water depth increases so that the buoy is completely immersed as
illustrated. For this condition what is the tension of the cable?
 Example

FB is the buoyant force acting on the buoy, W is the weight of the

buoy, and T is the tension in the cable. For Equilibrium

T = FB − W
FB =  V
With γ= 10.1 kN/m3 and V = πd3/6

FB = ( 10.1103 N/m3 ) [(k/6)( 1.5 m)3] = 1.785 104 N

The tension in the cable

T = 1.785  10 4 N − 0.850  10 4 N = 9.35kN

 Stability
• A body is said to be in a stable equilibrium position if, when displaced, it returns to
its equilibrium position.
• Conversely, it is an unstable equilibrium position if, when displaced (even slightly),
it moves to a new equilibrium position.
• The location of the line of action of the buoyancy force determines stability.
• While C.G. is below the center of buoyancy, a rotation from its equilibrium position
will create a restoring couple formed by the weight and the buoyancy force.
• If C.G. is above the center of buoyancy,…..
 Stability of Floating Body
• The determination of stability
depends in a complicated fashion
on the particular geometry and
weight distribution of the body.
 Pressure Variation in a Fluid with Rigid-Body Motion
• The entire fluid moves as if it were a rigid body – individual fluid particles,
although they may be in motion, are not deforming. This means that there
are no shear stresses, as in the case of a static fluid.
• The general equation of motion

• based on rectangular coordinates with the positive z axis being vertically

upward
 Linear Motion
Y-Z plane motion

The change in pressure between two

closely spaced points located at y, z,
and y + dy , z + dz

Along a line of constant pressure, dp=0

Along a free surface the pressure is constant, so that for the

accelerating mass shown in Fig., the free surface will be inclined if
 Rigid-Body Rotation
• In terms of cylindrical coordinates, the pressure gradient can be expressed

The differential pressure is

 Rigid-Body Rotation
• Along a line of constant pressure, dp=0
• The equation for surface of constant pressure is

• The equation reveals that the surfaces of constant pressure are parabolic

• Pressure varies with the distance from the axis of rotation, but at a fixed radius, the pressure varies
hydrostatically in the vertical direction
Summary
 Practice problems
• 2.52-2.60
• 2.66-2.68
• 2.74-2.76
• 2.82-2.85
• 2.89-2.94
• 2.97-2.106