ES 15

Problems on Hydrostatic Force on Curved Surfaces

• A dam has a curved upstream face and retains water to a
height of 9-m high. The specific gravity of seawater is 1.03.
• Using pressure prism method, calculate the horizontal component
of the total hydrostatic force acting on the dam.
• If the curved upstream face of the dam is constructed using the
equation y=0.2x2 as shown in the figure below, compute the total
hydrostatic force exerted by the seawater on the dam

9 meters
• A spar buoy is a buoyant rod weighted to float and protrude
vertically. It can be used for measurements or markers.
Suppose that the buoy is maple wood (SG=0.6), 50mm by
50mm by 4m, floating in seawater (SG=1.025). How many
kilograms of steel (SG=7.85) should be added to the bottom
end so that h=0.5m?
•
• Determine the total hydrostatic force and its line of
action on the semi-cylindrical indentation ABC per
meter of width into the paper