‫غالم اسحق خان انسٹیٹیوٹ براے انجیئر نگ سائنسزوٹیکنالوجی‬ Lecture # 09

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of

Engineering Science and Technology

Fluid Mechanics-I (ME321)

By
M.Mohib Ur Rehman
MSc. Energy and Power Engineering
BSc. Mechanical Engineering
Email: mohib@giki.edu.pk

‫فیکلٹی براے میکینکل انجینئرنگ‬

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
 Hydrostatic Force on a Plane Surface

• When a surface is submerged in a fluid, forces develop on it due to fluid

• We are interested in the direction, location and magnitude of those forces

• For fluids at rest force is perpendicular to the surface

• Pressure varies linearly with depth if fluid is incompressible

• For horizontal surface force calculation is straightforward

• When determining the resultant force on an area, the effect of atmospheric

pressure often cancels

• If submerged surface is inclined determination of the resultant force is more

involved
Pressure and resultant hydrostatic
force developed on the bottom of an
open tank

Resultant force FR  pA
If atmospheric pressure act on both sides of the bottom the resultant force on the bottom
is simply due to the liquid in the tank

Since pressure is constant and uniformly distributed over the bottom, the resultant force
acts through the centroid of the area

back
 Hydrostatic Force on Inclined Plane Surface
• Consider plane surface with area
of arbitrary shape submerged in
the fluid and inclined with respect
to fluid surface
• Assume that fluid surface is open
to atmosphere
• Let the plane in which the surface
lies intersect the free surface at 0
and make an angle  with this
surface
• Define coordinate system so that
0 is the origin and y is directed
along the surface
• We wish to determine the
direction, location, and magnitude
of the resultant force acting on
one side of this area due to the
liquid in contact with the area.
 Magnitude of Resultant force
At given depth, h, force acting on dA
is dF= hdA and is
perpendicular to the surface
Magnitude of the resultant force

FR    hdA    y sin  dA
A A

For constant  and 

FR   sin   ydA
A

In terms of first moment of the area

A
ydA  yc A

Resultant force

FR   hc A
back
 Location of Resultant force
Moment of resultant force must equal
moment of distributed pressure force
FR yR   ydF    sin  y 2 dA
A A

Since FR   Ayc sin  then

yR 
 A
y 2 dA
yc A
or in term of moment of inertia, Ix
Ix
yR 
yc A

By use of parallel axis theorem

I x  I xc  Ayc2
where Ixc is the moment of inertia
with respect to axis passing through
centroid and parallel to x axis. Finally:
I xc
yR   yc
yc A
back
Hydrostatic Force on Inclined Plane Surface
• The resultant force of a static fluid on a plane surface is due to the
hydrostatic pressure distribution

• The magnitude of the resultant fluid force is equal to the pressure acting at
the centroid of the area multiplied by the total area (details)
Hydrostatic Force on Inclined Plane Surface
• The resultant force of a static fluid on a plane surface is due to the
hydrostatic pressure distribution

• 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   hc A

• The resultant fluid force does not pass through the centroid of the area but
is always below it

• The point through which the resultant fluid force acts is called the center of
pressure. Coordinates, yR and xR, of the center of pressure are:
Hydrostatic Force on Inclined Plane Surface
• The resultant force of a static fluid on a plane surface is due to the
hydrostatic pressure distribution

• 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   hc A

• The resultant fluid force does not pass through the centroid of the area but
is always below it

• The point through which the resultant fluid force acts is called the center of
pressure. Coordinates, yR and xR, of the center of pressure are:

I I xyc
yR  xc  yc xR   xc
yc A yc A
 Hydrostatic Force on Inclined Plane Surface

• If the submerged area is

symmetrical with respect to an
axis passing through the centroid
and parallel to either the x or y
axes, the resultant force must lie
along the line x = xc , since Ixyc
is identically zero in this case

• As yc increases the center of

pressure moves closer to the
centroid of the area..

• Centroidal coordinates and

moments of inertia for some
common areas are provided
 Geometrical Properties of Some Common Shapes

back to example 2.6

back
 Hydrostatic Force on a Curved Surface
• Development of a free-body diagram of a suitable volume of fluid can be used to
determine the resultant fluid force acting on a curved surface

• Consider curved section BC of the open tank, which has a unit length perpendicular
to the plane of slide

• Find resultant fluid force acting on this section

 Hydrostatic Force on a Curved Surface
• Develop free-body diagram

• Determine magnitude and location of forces F1 and F2 using relationships for

planar surfaces

• Weight acts through the center of gravity of fluid contained within the volume

• Forces FH and FV represent components of the force that the tank exerts on the fluid
 Hydrostatic Force on a Curved Surface
• For this force system to be in equilibrium:

FH  F2 FV  F1 W

• Magnitude of resultant force

 FH    FV 
2 2
FR 
 Hydrostatic Force on a Curved Surface
• Resultant force FR passes through the point O, which can be located by summing
moments about appropriate axis

• Resultant force of the fluid acting on the curved surface BC is equal and opposite
in direction to that obtained from the free-body diagram
 End of Lecture

People in the same boat help each

other to cross to the other bank….