Hydrostatic Forces on Plane &

Curved Surfaces

CVEN 212
Spring 2024
Riyadh Al-Raoush, PhD, PE

1
 Static Surface Forces
hinge
8m water

?
4m

2
 Static Surface Forces

 Forces on plane areas

 Forces on curved surfaces
 Buoyant force

3
 Forces on Plane Areas

 Horizontal surfaces
 Inclined surfaces
 Techniques to find the line of action of the
resultant force
 Center of pressure

4
 Statics Review: First Moments

A
xdA Moment of an area A about the y axis

1 Location of centroidal axis

x   xdA
A A y

1
y   ydA
A A
x

For a plate of uniform thickness the intersection of the centroidal

5
axes is also the center of gravity
 Statics Review: Second Moments

area moment of inertia

Also called ____________________

I o   y 2 dA
A

by the transfer equation

I is the 2nd moment with respect to

I  Io  y A
2
the horizontal centroidal axis of the
area
6
Area and Center of Gravity

7
 Forces on Plane Areas:
Horizontal surfaces
What is the force on the bottom of this
tank of water?
h Side view
F   pdA  p  dA  pA
p = gh
F is normal to the surface and towards
the surface if p is positive. A

centroid of the area.

F passes through the ________
Top view

8
Forces on Plane Areas:
Horizontal surfaces

9
 Forces on Plane Areas: Inclined
surfaces
 Direction of force Normal to the plane
 Magnitude of force
 integrate the pressure over the area
 pressure is no longer constant!

 Line of action

10
 Forces on Plane Areas: Inclined
Surfaces
Free surface O
q x
h A h A’
y
yp
centroid
B’ O

center of pressure xp x
11
y
 Magnitude of Force on Inclined
Plane Area
F   pdA p  h  y sin 

F   sin   ydA 1
y   ydA
A A
F  yA sin 

F  h A
F  pA centroid of the area
p is the pressure at the __________________
12
 Forces on Plane Areas:
Center of pressure: xcp
 The center of pressure is not at the centroid
(because pressure is increasing with depth)
 x coordinate of center of pressure: xcp
xcp F   xpdA Moment of resultant = sum of moment of
A
distributed forces
1 F  yA sin  p  y sin 
xcp 
F 
A
xpdA
1 ____
xcp  ____
yA sin  A
xy sin dA

1
xcp 
yA A
xydA 13
 Center of pressure: xcp

1
I xy   xydA
xcp  
yA A
xydA A
Product of inertia
I xy
xcp  I xy  x yA  I xy
yA
_ _
x yA  I xy Ixy = 0
xcp  Ixy = 0
yA y
y
I xy
xcp  x 
yA x
x
If x = x or y = y is an axis of symmetry then the product of
14
inertia Ixy is zero.
 Center of pressure: ycp

ycp F   ypdA Solve for ycp

A

1 F  yA sin  p  y sin 

ycp 
F 
A
ypdA

1 2____
ycp  ____
yA sin  A  y  sin dA

1
ycp   Io   y 2 dA
2
y dA
yA A A
Io I o  I  y 2 A Transfer equation
ycp 
yA
I
ycp 
Iy A I

2
y
ycp  y
yA yA yA 15
 Inclined Surface Findings

 The horizontal center of pressure and the

coincide when the surface xcp  x  I xy
horizontal centroid ________
has either a horizontal or vertical axis of yA
symmetry
Ix
 below the ycp  yA  y
The center of pressure is always _______
centroid
 The vertical distance between the centroid and
the center of pressure _________
decreases as the surface
is lowered deeper into the liquid
 What do you do if there isn’t a free surface? 16
 Example using Moments

An elliptical gate covers the end of a pipe 4 m in diameter. If the

gate is hinged at the top, what normal force F applied at the
bottom of the gate 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 the gate.
Solution Scheme
 Magnitude of the force hinge
8m water
applied by the water
 Location of the resultant force
F 4m
 Find F using moments about
hinge 17
 Magnitude of the Force

hinge
Fr  pA 8m water
A  ab Fr
F 4m
h = _____
10 m Depth to the centroid
gh
p = ___
Fr  h ab a = 2.5 m
 N
Fr   9810 3 10 m π2.5 m 2 m 
 m 
Fr= ________
1.54 MN
b=2m 18
 Location of Resultant Force

Ix hinge
ycp  y 8m water
yA
Fr
yh
Slant distance F 4m
y  ________
12.5 m to surface
ba3
ba 3
ycp  y  Ix  A  ab
4 yab 4
a = 2.5 m
a2 ( 2 .5 m ) 2 cp
ycp  y  
4 y 4(12.5m)

y cp  y  _______
0.125 m
b=2m 19
 Force Required to Open Gate

hinge
How do we find the 8m water
required force? Fr
Moments about the hinge F 4m
 M hinge  0 =Frlcp-Fltot
Fr lcp
F
ltot lcp=2.625 m 2.5 m
ltot

1.54 x 10 N 2.625 m 
6 cp
F
5 m 
F = 809
______
kN b=2m 20
Forces on Plane Surfaces Review

 The average magnitude of the pressure

force is the pressure at the centroid
 The horizontal location of the pressure
_
force was at x (WHY?)
The gate was symmetrical
____________________
about at least one of the centroidal axes.
___________________________________
 The vertical location of the pressure force is
Pressure
below the centroid.
increases (WHY?) ___________
with depth.
___________________ 21
 Forces on Curved Surfaces

 Horizontal component
 Vertical component
 Tensile Stress in pipes and spheres

22
 Forces on Curved Surfaces:
Horizontal Component
 The horizontal component of pressure force
on a curved surface is equal to the pressure
force exerted on a vertical ______
projection of the
curved surface
 The horizontal component of pressure
force on a closed body is always
zero ___.
 The center of pressure is located on the
projected area using the moment of inertia
23
 Forces on Curved Surfaces:
Vertical Component
 What is the magnitude of
the vertical component of
force on the cup?
p = gh F = pr2gh =W! h

24
 Forces on Curved Surfaces:
Vertical Component
The vertical component of pressure force on a
curved surface is equal to the weight of liquid
vertically above the curved surface and
extending up to the (virtual or real) free
surface
Streeter, et. al

25
 Example: Forces on Curved
Surfaces
Find the resultant force (magnitude and location)
on a 1 m wide section of the circular arc.

FV = W1 + W2 3m W1
= (3 m)(2 m)(1 m)g + p/4(2 m)2(1 m)g
water 2m
= 58.9 kN + 30.8 kN
= 89.7 kN 2m W2

FH = p A
= g(4 m)(2 m)(1 m)
= 78.5 kN 26
 Example: Forces on Curved
Surfaces
The vertical component line of action goes through
the centroid of the volume of water above the surface. A
Take moments about a vertical
axis through A. 3m W1
4( 2 m )
xFV  (1 m) W1  W2 water 2m
3
4( 2 m ) W2
(1 m)58.9 kN   30.8 kN  2m
x 3
89.7 kN 
= 0.948 m (measured from A) with magnitude of 89.7 kN
27
 Example: Forces on Curved
Surfaces
The location of the line of action of the horizontal
component is given by A
Ix
yp  y
yA b 3m W1
bh 3 water 2m
Ix  h
12
2m W2
I x  (1 m)(2 m)3/12 = 0.667 m4
y 4m
0.667 m 4
yp   4 m   4.083 m
4 m 2 m 1 m  28
Example: Forces on Curved
Surfaces

0.948 m
78.5 kN horizontal
4.083 m
89.7 kN vertical

119.2 kN resultant

29
 Buoyant Force
 The resultant force exerted on a body by a
static fluid in which it is fully or partially
submerged
 The projection of the body on a vertical plane
has two sides and the pressure on the two sides
is equal, thus
________________________________
the horizontal forces always balance
 The projection of the body on a horizontal
plane also has two sides, but the pressures on
the two surfaces are _________
different 30
 Buoyant Force: Thought
Experiment
Place a thin wall balloon filled
with water in the tank of water. FB
What is the net force on the
balloon? _______
zero
Does the shape of the balloon
no
matter? ________
What is the buoyant force on
the balloon? Weight
_____________
of water
_________
displaced
FB=gV 31
 Buoyant Force: Line of Action

 The buoyant force acts through the centroid

of the displaced volume of fluid (center of
buoyancy) 1
  xd  x x  xd
 

32