HYDRAULICS DEPARTMENT

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EXPERIMENT NO. 3

HYDROSTATIC FORCE ON PLANE SURFACES

Usually, engineers are confronted with problem of determining the force

exerted by fluids acting on walls of container, such as pipes, tanks and concrete
forms. Here, forces are due to the pressure, which is being exerted outward from
the inside of the container. On other occasions, the problem maybe to determine
the pressure exerted against submerged objects such as caissons, diving bells and
balloons. Another common problem is the determination of forces acting on gates in
the walls of these containers or submerged objects. Forces acting on containers or
submerged objects are due to pressure of a gas, a liquid, or a solid. In the case of
gas, pressure usually does not vary appreciably with elevation in vertical distances
that are commonly considered. With liquids, however, the pressure will vary from
atmospheric at free surface to tremendous magnitudes at great depths, such as the
ocean. The actual absolute magnitude of the pressure depends on the atmospheric
pressure, the depth of the point being considered, and the specific weight of the
liquid involved.

OBJECTIVE

This experiment determines the hydrostatic force on a submerged and semi-sub-

merged rectangular area.

DERIVATION

Let hs = vertical height from fulcrum to water surface

h = vertical height from water surface to top of quadrant plane surface
d = height of end surface of quadrant
b = width of end face quadrant = 75 mm

Consider a strip across the end face of the quadrant dx at a depth x, force on that
strip = ρgxbdx.

1
(Please refer to your lecture notes)

x
dF
dx
d

b = 75 mm

From: P = γ Lh

therefore P= γLx

P= F/A = dF/dA

therefore dF = PdA
dF = γLxbdx

hd
dF 
h
L gbxdx`
Therefore, the total force on the end surface

F

gb h  d   h 2
2
 (1)
2

For partially submerged surface, h=0. Therefore,

gbd 2
F
2
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