Fluid Statics

(Hydrostatics)
UNIT PRESSURE OR PRESSURE, P
Pressure is the force per unit area exerted by a
liquid or gas on a body or surface, with the force
acting at right angles to the surface uniformly in
all directions.
P = Force, F / Area, A
PASCAL’S LAW
developed by French mathematician Blaise
Pascal, state that the pressure on a fluid is equal
in all directions and in all parts of the container.
CHARACTERISTIC
A. PRESSURE AT A POINT IS THE SAME IN ALL DIRECTION.
P = P X = PY = PZ
B. VARIATION OF PRESSURE
For Incompressible Fluids
C. ABSOLUTE AND GAGE PRESSURE

Absolute Pressure (Pabs) – Pressure measure relative to absolute zero.

Gage Pressure (Pgage) – Pressure measure relative to atmospheric pressure.

Vacuum or Suction – Negative pressure or pressure is below that of the atmospheric

pressure.
In fluid mechanics the pressure results from a normal compressive force acting on an area.
The pressure P is defined as force per unit area. In SI units the unit of measurement of
pressure is Newtons per square meter (N/m2) or Pascal (Pa). Since Pascal is small unit, the
pressure is usually referred to in kilo Pascal (kPa) or even in Mega Pascal (MPa). The
standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is 101.3 kPa. The gauge pressure is the
pressure recorded by the gauge or manometer. In engineering calculations absolute
pressure is used and the conversion from gauge pressure to absolute pressure is carried
out using the following equation.

Absolute pressure = gauge pressure + atmospheric pressure

Pabs = Pgage + Patm

D. Barometer

- Device use for measuring the absolute pressure of the atmosphere.

 At sea-level standard, with Patm = 101,350 Pa and γm =133,100 N/m3 ,
the barometric height is h = 101,350/133,100 = 0.761 m or 761 mm. In the United
States the weather service reports this as an atmospheric “pressure” of 29.96 in Hg
(inches of mercury). Mercury is used because it is the heaviest common liquid. A
water barometer would be 34 ft high.
E. Measurement of Pressure (Manometer)

Types of Manometer
A. Piezometer Tube – It is a tube tapped into a wall of a container or conduit for the
purpose of measuring pressure.
 B. U-Tube Manometer or Open Type Manometer – has an atmospheric surface in one
leg and is capable of measuring gage pressure.
C. Differential U-Tube Manometer - without an atmospheric surface and capable of
measuring only differences of pressure.
Bourdon Gage
STEPS IN SOLVING MANOMETER PROBLEMS:

1. Decide on the fluid in feet or meter, of which the heads are to be expressed.
2. Starting from an end point, number in order, the interface of different fluids.
3. Identify points of equal pressure (taking into account that for a homogeneous
fluid at rest, the pressure along the same horizontal plane are equal). Label
these points with the same number.
4. Proceed from level to level, adding (if going down) or subtracting (if going up)
pressure heads as the elevation decreases or increases, respectively with due
regard for the specific gravity of the fluids.
Sample Problem:
Sample Problems:
Sample Problem:
Exercises:
HYDROSTATIC FORCE ON A PLANE SURFACE