FLUID MECHANICS: Chapter 02 9

CHAPTER 02:
HYDROSTATIC FORCE ON FLAT SURFACES
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:
• Calculate the hydrostatic force pressure on vertical and inclined plane surfaces of different shapes.
• Locate the center of hydrostatic pressure force and its effects to the surface it is acting upon.
• Determine the appropriate method for calculating the intensity and location of hydrostatic pressure force.

CH02-01: HYDROSTATIC FORCE

• When a surface is submerged in a fluid, forces develop on the surface due to the fluid.
• The resultant force of a static fluid on a plane surface is due to the hydrostatic pressure distribution on the surface.
• The determination of these forces is important in the design of storage tanks, ships, dams, and other hydraulic
structures.
• For fluids at rest we know that the force must be perpendicular to the surface since there are no shearing stresses
present.
• For a horizontal surface, such as the bottom of a liquid-filled tank shown in fig (a), the magnitude of the resultant
force is simply
𝐹 = 𝑃𝐴
where P is the uniform pressure on the bottom and A is the area of the bottom.

• But as shown in figure (b), the pressure on the ends of the tank is not uniformly distributed.

CH02-02: HYDROSTATIC FORCE ON VERTICAL RECTANGULAR

PLANE SURFACE
HYDROSTATIC FORCE ON VERTICAL RECTANGULAR PLANE
• The hydrostatic force on a vertical rectangular plane can be
determined without difficulty. Consider one side of an open right
container with rectangular base.
 FLUID MECHANICS: Chapter 02 10

• As seen in the figure. The pressure shows a linear pressure gradient. Assuming that there is no external pressure
that exists in addition to the atmospheric pressure, the gradient starts from zero-gauge pressure to maximum
gauge pressure equal to
𝑃 = 𝛾ℎ
• This will conclude that the hydrostatic force will be equal to the resultant of the hydrostatic pressure that acts to
the plane considered.
𝑃1 = 0 𝑃1 + 𝑃2
𝐹= (ℎ)(𝑤)
𝑃2 = 𝛾ℎ 2
0 + 𝛾ℎ
𝐹= ℎ𝑤
2
this can be rearranged to:
ℎ
𝐹=𝛾 ℎ𝑤
2
ℎ
Let be ℎ𝑐
2

Also, we know that (ℎ𝑤) will be equal to the area of the considered plane, 𝐴
Then the equation may be expressed to:
𝑭 = 𝜸𝒉𝒄 𝑨

• Since the pressure gradient is graphically triangular, the location of the Force or the center of pressure can be
located through the centroid of the pressure graph.
𝟐
𝒉𝒑 = 𝟑 𝒉
(for rectangular vertical plane only)

ECCENTRICTY (rectangular vertical plane)

• The eccentricity is the distance measured from the location of center of pressure to the centroid of the considered
area.
𝟐𝒉 𝒉
𝒆= −
𝟑 𝟐
(for rectangular vertical plane only)
𝒉
𝒆=
𝟔
(for rectangular vertical plane only)

CH02-03: HYDROSTATIC FORCE ON INCLINED PLANE SURFACE

HYDROSTATIC FORCE ON INCLINED PLANE SURFACE
• The design of containment structures requires computation of the hydrostatic forces on various solid surfaces
adjacent to the fluid. These forces relate to the weight of fluid bearing on the surface.
• For the more general case in which a submerged plane surface is inclined, as is illustrated in the figure, the
determination of the resultant force acting on the surface is more involved.
 FLUID MECHANICS: Chapter 02 11

To derive the formula for the total hydrostatic force on a flat surface of any shape inclined by angle 𝜃:
𝑭 = 𝑷𝑨
∫ 𝑦 𝑑𝐴 = 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎 (𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑖𝑑)
𝑏𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠:
∫ 𝑦 𝑑𝐴 = 𝑦𝑐 𝐴
∫ 𝑑𝐹 = ∫ 𝛾ℎ 𝑑𝐴
𝐹 = 𝛾 sin 𝜃 𝑦𝑐 𝐴
ℎ = 𝑦 sin 𝜃
𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝜃 = 90°
𝐹 = ∫ 𝛾 𝑦 sin 𝜃 𝑑𝐴

𝐹 = 𝛾 sin 𝜃 ∫ 𝑦 𝑑𝐴 𝑭 = 𝜸𝒉𝒄 𝑨

To derive the formula for the location of the center of pressure and eccentricity on a flat surface of any shape inclined by
angle θ:
𝐹𝑦𝑝 = 𝛾 sin 𝜃 (𝐼𝑐 + 𝐴𝑦𝑐2 )
Take moment at x-axis 𝐹
𝑦𝑝 = 𝛾 sin 𝜃 (𝐼𝑐 + 𝐴𝑦𝑐2 )
𝐹𝑦𝑝 = ∫ 𝑑𝐹𝑦 𝛾ℎ𝑐 𝐴
𝑦𝑝 = 𝛾 sin 𝜃 (𝐼𝑐 + 𝐴𝑦𝑐2 )
𝐹𝑦𝑝 = ∫ 𝛾ℎ 𝑑𝐴 𝑦
𝛾 𝑦𝑐 sin 𝜃 𝐴

𝐹𝑦𝑝 = ∫ 𝛾 𝑦 sin 𝜃 𝑑𝐴 𝑦
𝑰𝒄
𝒚𝒑 = + 𝒚𝒄
𝐹𝑦𝑝 = 𝛾 sin 𝜃 ∫ 𝑦 2 𝑑𝐴 𝒚𝒄 𝑨

∫ 𝑦 2 𝑑𝐴 = 2𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 (𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎) 𝑒 = 𝑦𝑝 − 𝑦𝑐

𝐼𝑐
∫ 𝑦 2 𝑑𝐴 = 𝐼𝑥 𝑒= + 𝑦𝑐 − 𝑦𝑐
𝑦𝑐 𝐴
𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎
𝐼𝑥 = 𝐼𝑐 + 𝐴𝑦𝑐2 𝑰𝒄
𝒆=
𝐹𝑦𝑝 = 𝛾 sin 𝜃 (𝐼𝑐 + 𝐴𝑦𝑐2 ) 𝒚𝒄 𝑨
 FLUID MECHANICS: Chapter 02 12

𝐹 = 𝛾ℎ𝑐 𝐴 𝐼𝑐
𝑒=
𝐹 = 𝛾 𝑦𝑐 sin 𝜃 𝐴 𝐹/𝛾 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃
𝛾 sin 𝜃
𝐹 𝑰𝒄 𝜸 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜽
𝑦𝑐 𝐴 = 𝒆=
𝛾 sin 𝜃 𝑭

Fig.02-02
CH02-04: SAMPLE PROBLEMS
1. The tank shown at Fig.02-01 contains water. Find Fig.02-01

the resultant force and its location on side AB.

2. Determine the resultant force acting on the 5m

wide wall of the vessel shown at Fig. 02-02.

3. A semicircular gate AB shown in Fig.02-03 is hinged

at B. Find the reaction at A.

Fig.02-03

4. Refer to Fig.02-04. The 4m diameter circular gate is located in the inclined wall of a large reservoir containing
water. The gate is mounted on a shaft along its horizontal diameter and the water depth is 10m above the shaft.
a. Determine the magnitude hydrostatic force acting on the gate
b. Determine the location of the resultant force acting on the gate from the top of the water surface.
c. The moment that would have to be applied to the shaft to open the gate

Fig.02-04
 FLUID MECHANICS: Chapter 02 13

CHAPTER 02 REFLECTION

In Chapter 02:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________