Topic 2

Hydrostatics
Pressure
Dr. Mazlina Bt Alang Othman
Department of Civil Engineering
Politeknik Ungku Omar
 Lesson Outcomes
➢ Concepts of Fluids Pressure
➢ Hydrostatic forces acting on submerges flat and
inclined Surfaces
➢ Hydrostatic forces acting on submerges curves
surfaces
➢ Pressure Diagram
➢ Hydrostatic forces acting on Mansory Dam
➢ Experiment related to Hydrostatic Forces
 Introduction
• Hydrostatics is the branch of fluid mechanics that studies fluids at rest
(stationary) and the pressure in a fluid or exerted by a fluid on an immersed
body.
• When a surface is submerged in a fluid, forces develop on the surface due
to the fluid.
• The determination of these forces is important in the design of storage
tanks, ships, dams, gate and other hydraulic structures.

Tanks
Dam

Sluice Gate
 Introduction
• The term pressure refers to the effects of a force acting against and
distributed over a surface and the force may be exerted by a solid, liquid, or
gas.
• Pressure exerted by a fluid varies directly with depth.
• From the study of hydrostatics in the preceding topic, the following principles
have been established;
1. There are no shear stresses present when the fluid is not in motion
2. The pressure exerted by a fluid under hydrostatic condition at any depth is
equal in all directions. This pressure acts perpendicular to an immersed
surface
3. Hydrostatic pressure varies linearly, increasing with an increase surface
Fluid pressure is transmitted with equal intensity in all directions and acts
normal to any plane.

Three cases of submerged surfaced is to be determined:

1. Hydrostatic forces on plane surfaces

a. vertical and horizontal surface
b. Inclined surface

2. Hydrostatic forces on curved surface

 Hydrostatic force on a submerged plane surface

• For fluids at rest, the force must be

perpendicular to the surface since
there are no shearing stresses
present.
• the pressure will vary linearly with
depth
• The magnitude of the resultant fluid
force is equal to the pressure acting at
the centroid of the area multiplied by
the total area.

𝐹𝑅 = 𝜌𝑔𝑦𝑐 𝐴
• the magnitude of the force is independent of
the angle θ and depends only on the specific
weight of the fluid, the total area, and the
depth of the centroid of the area below the
surface.

• Since all the differential forces that were

summed to obtain FR are perpendicular to the
surface, the resultant FR must also be
perpendicular to the surface.
• The point through which the resultant force
acts is called the Center of Pressure (CP).
 Hydrostatic forces on VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL PLANE
SURFACES
Horizontal plane surfaces Vertical plane surfaces

𝑦𝑐
𝑦𝑅
FR 𝑦𝑐 G
FR

1. Resultant force, 𝐹𝑅 = 𝜌𝑔𝑦𝑐 𝐴

Where A = Area of the submerged/wet part of the plane surface
= The vertical height from the centre of gravity of the wet surface to the fluid surface

𝐼𝑥𝑥
2. Location of pressure/Centre of Pressure, 𝑦𝑅 = + 𝑦𝑐
𝐴𝑦𝑐
Where 𝐼𝑥𝑥 = moment of inertia about the horizontal line through the center of gravity of the
submerged surface
Geometric properties some common shapes
Geometric properties some common shapes
Example 1:
Calculate the magnitude and location of the resultant force on flood gate
with B = 1m and depth of water is 2 m if
a. Rectangular sluice gate
b. Triangle sluice gate

Example 2 :
The 4-m-diameter circular gate of Fig. below is located in the wall channel
containing sewerage water. Determine the hydrostatic force and center of
pressure.

2m
Example 3 :

Example 4 :
 Sluice Gates
• A sluice gate is provided, in the path of a river or a stream, to
regulate the flow of water.
• For doing so, the sluice gate is made to move up and down with the
help of rollers fixed to the vertical plates (called skin plates) which
travel on vertical rails called guides. These rails are fixed on piers or
vertical walls as shown in Figure.
• In between these two skin plates , a number of I-beams are provided
horizontally to withstand the water pressure.
Example 5 :
A vertical sluice gate 3m wide and 2.5m deep contains water on both of its sides.
On the upstream side, the water is 5m deep and on the downstream side it is 2m
deep from the bottom of the sluice. What is the resultant pressure on the gate?
Example 5 :
A vertical sluice gate 4m wide and 2m deep is hinged at the top. A liquid of specific
gravity 1.5 stands on the upstream side of the gate up to a height of 3.5m above
the top edge of the gate and water on the downstream side up to the top edge of
the gate. Find: (i) resultant pressure acting on the gate (ii) point at which the
resultant pressure acts.
Example 6 :
 Hydrostatic forces on INCLINED PLANE SURFACES

Hydrostatic Force, 𝐹 = 𝜌𝑔𝑦𝑐 𝐴

𝐼𝑥𝑥 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃
Location of pressure/Centre of Pressure, ℎ𝑝 = 𝐴𝑦𝑐
+ 𝑦𝑐
Example 7 :
A homogeneous, 0.7 m wide, 4 m long rectangular gate is held in place by a
horizontal flexible cable as shown in below. Water acts against the gate, which is
hinged at point A. Friction in the hinge is negligible. Determine the magnitude of the
resultant force acting on one side of the area as a result of the water.

600
Example 8 :
The inclined face AD of the tank of Fig. below is a plane surface containing a gate
ABC, which is hinged along line BC. The shape of the gate is rectangular with 2 m
wide and 3 m long. If the tank contains water, determine the magnitude of the force
that the water exerts on the gate.
Example 9 :
The gate shown in fig below is hinged at A. The gate is 1.5 m wide and 5 m long.
Calculate the force P required to hold the gate close
 Pressure Diagram
An informative and useful graphical interpretation can be made for the force
developed by a fluid acting on a plane area.

a. Horizontal Surface b. Vertical Surface c. Inclined Surface

• Consider the pressure distribution along a vertical wall of a tank of width b, which
contains a liquid having a specific weight γ(=ρg).
• Since the pressure must vary linearly with depth, the pressure is equal to zero at the
upper surface and equal to γh(=ρgh) at the bottom.
• The base of this “volume” in pressure-area space is the plane surface of interest, and its
altitude at each point is the pressure.
• This volume is called the pressure prism, and it is clear that the magnitude of the
resultant force acting on the surface is equal to the volume of the pressure prism.

“ The magnitude of the resultant fluid force is equal to the

volume of the pressure prism and passes through its centroid ”
Example 10 (using pressure diagram) :
 Hydrostatic forces on CURVED SURFACE

• The forces on each element of the surface will not be parallel (normal to the
surface at each point) and must be combined using some vectorial method.
• The most significant method to solve these types of problems is to calculate
the vertical and horizontal components, and then combine these two forces
to obtain the resultant force and its direction.
• Horizontal component - pressure force on the projected area of the curved
surface on vertical plane
• Vertical component – weight of the water/fluid supported by the curve up to
free surface
 There are two cases:
Case I: if the fluid is above the curved surface

Case II: if the fluid is below the curved surface

Example 11
The 2-m-long lightweight gate of Fig below is a quarter circle and is hinged at H.
Determine the magnitude and direction of the force if radius of the gate is:
a) 3 m
b) 5 m
Example 12
A quadrant shaped gate of width 1.5 m is shows in figure below. Calculate the
magnitude and direction of the resultant exerted by the water on curved surface.
Example 13
A radial gate is a circular arc as shown in figure below. Calculate the magnitude
and direction of the resultant force if width of the gate is 6 m.
 Water Pressures and Forces on Dams
• The dams are constructed in order to store large quantities of water,
for the purpose of irrigation and power generation.
• Types of dam:
1. Arch Dams
2. Gravity Dams
3. Arch – Gravity Dams
4. Barrage
• A dam may be of any cross-section, but the following are important
from the subject point of view:
a. Rectangular dams
b. Trapezoidal dams
• Large hydrostatic forces to which dams are subjected tend to cause a dam
to :
1. slide horizontally along its base and
2. overturn about its downstream edge (which is known as the toe of the dam)

• Another factor that may affect dam stability is hydrostatic uplift along
the bottom of the dam, caused by water seeping under the dam. Checks for
dam stability are made by finding:
1. the factor of safety against sliding,
2. the factor of safety against overturning, and
3. the pressure intensity on the base of the dam.
Water Pressure On Rectangular Dams

Chenderoh Dam
Example 14
A retaining wall 6m high and 2.5m wide retains water up to its top. Find the total
pressure per meter length of the wall and the point at which the resultant cuts
the base. Also find the resultant thrust on the base of the wall per meter length.
Assume weight of masonry as 23 KN/m3.
Water Pressure On Trapezoidal dams
Example 15
A concrete dam having water on vertical face is 16m high. The base of the dam
is 8m wide and top 3m wide. Find the resultant thrust on the base per meter
length of the dam and the point of where it intersects the base, where it
contains water 16m deep. Take weight of the concrete as 23 KN/m3.