College of Engineering

Civil Engineering Department

Fluid Mechanics
CVEN212
Spring 2014

Experiment2
Center of pressure on a plane surface
Student Names:
Almothana Shahrour
201107562
Raafat Talal Hokan

ID:
ID: 201103033

Lab preformed at: 12 Mar 2014

Due to: 19 Mar 2014

Instructor: Dr. Osman Elnawawy

Introduction
Hydrostatic pressure is, the pressure exerted by a fluid at equilibrium
due to the force of gravity. A fluid in this condition is known as a
hydrostatic fluid. This experiment is designed to help you understand
how to locate the center of pressure and compute the hydrostatic force
acting on a submerged surface. Adding weight and then filling the tank
with water to the point where the apparatus was in equilibrium. So we
can calculate the force on the flat surface using the given equations.
The center of pressure is the point where the total sum of
a pressure field acts on a body.

Objective
This lab is to determine the hydrostatic thrust acting on a plane surface
immersed in water when the surface is partially submerged or fully
submerged. Also to determine the experimental center of pressure and the
theoretical center of pressure for each of the trials performed.

Procedure
1. Place the empty tank on the Bench and position the balance arm
on the pivot.
2. Place the balance pan in the groove at the end of the balance
arm.
3. Level the tank.
4. Position the counterbalance weight until the balance arm is
horizontal.
5. Add a known amount of weight to the balance pan. Pour water
into the tank until the balance arm is horizontal again.
6. When the arm is level, this means that the force on the vertical
face of the quadrant balances out the force due to the added
weight.
7. Read the depth of immersion from the scale on the face of the
quadrant.
8. Repeat the experiment by adding more weights until you have at
least two measurements in which the vertical face is completely
submerged.

Equipment
The equipment required for the testing of this lab is:
The F1-12 Hydrostatic Pressure Apparatus
F1-10 Hydraulics Bench (water source)
Graduated Cylinder

case
Partial immersion

m(kg)

Average height
(m)

Yc (m)

0.05

0.042

0.021

0.1

0.061

0.0305

0.15

0.076

0.038

0.2

0.089

0.0445

0.25

0.1

0.05

Yr(m)
0.028
0.0406
67
0.0506
67
0.0593
33
0.0666
67

m/y2
28.344
67
26.8745
25.9695
3
25.2493
4
25

29
28

f(x) = - 16.63x + 28.78

R = 0.93

27

m/y2

26
25
24
23
0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

case
Complete immersion

m(kg)

Average height
(m)

0.3

0.112

0.35

0.124

0.4

0.136

Yc
(m)

Yr(m)
m/yr
L/yr
0.0754 4.2085 4.0261
0.062
41
24
55
0.0852 4.1752 3.4237
0.074
61
76
26
0.0956 4.1474 2.9757
0.086
9
39
88

4.22
4.21
4.2
4.19
4.18
4.17
m/yr

4.16
4.15
4.14
4.13
4.12
4.11
2.8

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

l/yr

Discussion:
The results showed small discrepancies between the experimental and
theoretical values of the center of pressure. These discrepancies might
be a result of errors occurred in the experimental procedures or
apparatus. There are possible errors that might have caused the large
discrepancies, Neglecting the weights of the balance and the pan,
errors in determining the depth "y", either due to errors in taking the
reading from the venire or from parallax errors in determining the
touching point between the water surface and the pin of the measuring
device.
Another result that was noted is related to the fact that with increasing
the depth of immersion, the center of pressure should get closer to the
centroid, this fact was correct in the total immersion region but in the
partial immersion the results showed random variation.

4.2