Hydrostatic Forces and Center of

Pressure on Plane and Curved

Surfaces
Wednesday 3th February 2019
Pressure Diagrams
• The resultant force and center of pressure can
be found graphically for walls and other
surfaces of constant vertical height for which
it is convenient to calculate the horizontal
force exerted per unit width.

• ABC is the pressure diagram for

the vertical wall of the tank containing a
liquid, pressure being plotted horizontally
against depth vertically.

• At the free surface A, the (gauge) pressure is

zero. At depth y,
p = ρgy.
Pressure Diagrams
• The area of the triangle will be the
product of depth (in meters) and
pressure (in Newtons per square
meter), and will represent, the
resultant force R on unit width of the
immersed surface (in Newtons per
meter).

• Area of pressure diagram = 1 1

 AB × BC =  H ×  gH
2 2

Resultant force, R =  gH 2 /2 for unit width, and R will act through the centroid P of the pressure diagram,
2
which is at a depth of H from A.
3
Pressure Diagrams
• If the plane surface is inclined and
submerged below the surface, the pressure
diagram is drawn perpendicular to the
immersed surface and will be a
straight line extending from p = 0 at the
free surface to p = ρgH at depth H.

• As the immersed surface does not extend

to the free surface, the resultant force R is
represented by the shaded area, instead of
the whole triangle, and acts through the
centroid P of this area.
Pressure Diagrams
• A closed tank, rectangular in plan
with vertical sides, is 1.8m deep
and contains water to a depth of
1.2m.

• Air is pumped into the space

above the water until the air
pressure is 35kNm−2.
•
• If the length of one wall of the
tank is 3m, determine the
resultant force on this wall and
the height of the centre of
pressure above the base.
Solution
• The air pressure will be transported
uniformly over the whole of the
vertical wall, and can be represented
by the pressure diagram ABCD the
area of which represents the force
exerted by the air per unit width of
wall.

• Force due to air,

RAir = (p × AB) × Width

= 35 × 103 × 1.8 × 3 = 189 × 103N

• Since the wall is rectangular and the

pressure uniform, RAir will act at mid-
height, which is 0.9m above the base.
Solution
• The pressure due to the water
will start from zero at the free
surface, corresponding
to the point E, and reach a
value DF equal to ρgh at the
bottom.

• The area of the triangular

pressure diagram EFD
represents the force exerted by
the water per unit width

•
Force due to water, R H2O = × ( gh × DE) × Width
1
= × 103 × 9.81 × 1.2 × 1.2 × 3 = 21.19 × 103 N
2
Solution
1
Since the wall is rectangular, R H2O will act at h = 0.4m from the base.
3

Total force due to both air and water,

R = R Air + R H2O = (189 + 21.19) × 103 = 210.19 × 103 N.

If x is the height above the base of the centre of pressure through which R acts,
R × x = R Air × 0.9 + R H2O × 0.4,
x = (189 × 0.9 + 21 × 0.4)210.19 = 0.85m.
Force on A Curved Surface Due To Hydrostatic Pressure

• If a surface is curved, the forces produced by fluid pressure on the

small elements making up the area will not be parallel.

• It is convenient to calculate the horizontal and vertical components of

the resultant force.
Force on A Curved Surface Due To Hydrostatic Pressure
• AB is the immersed surface

• R h and Rv are the horizontal and vertical

components of the resultant force R of the
liquid on of the surface (the liquid lies
above the immersed surface)

• If ACE is a vertical plane through A, and BC

is a horizontal plane then:
• Since element ACB is in equilibrium, the
resultant force P on AC must equal to the
horizontal component Rh of the force exerted
by the fluid on AB because there are no other
horizontal forces acting.
Force on A Curved Surface Due To Hydrostatic Pressure
• But AC is the projection of AB on a vertical
plane; therefore:
• Horizontal component Rh = Resultant force on
the projection
of AB on a vertical plane.

• For equilibrium, P and R h must act in the same

straight line; therefore, the
horizontal component R h acts through the center
of pressure of the projection of AB on a vertical
plane.
Force on A Curved Surface Due To Hydrostatic
Pressure
• The vertical component Rv will be
entirely due to the weight of the
fluid in the area ABDE lying
vertically above AB.

• Vertical component, Rv = Weight of

fluid vertically above AB, and will
act vertically downwards through
the centre of gravity G of ABDE.
 Example
• A sluice gate is in the form of a
circular arc of radius 6m.
Calculate the magnitude and
direction of the resultant force
on the gate, and the
location with respect to O of a
point on its line of action.
Solution
Depth of water, h = 2 × 6 sin 30° = 6m,
Horizontal component of force on gate
= R h per unit length
= Resultant force on PQ per unit length
=  g × h × h/2 =  gh 2 /2
= (103 × 9.81 × 36)/2Nm -1 = 176.58k Nm -1 ,
Solution

Vertical component of force on gate

= R v per unit length
= Weight of water displaced by segment PSQ
= (Sector OPSQ - OPQ) g
= [ (60/360) ×  × 62 - 6 sin 30° × 6 cos 30°] × 103 × 9.81Nm -1
= 32.00kNm -1 ,
Solution
Resultant force on gate, R = R 2h  Rv2
= (176.582 + 32.002 ) = 179.46 kNm -1.
If R is inclined at an angle  to the horizontal,
tan  = R v /R h = 32.00/176.58 = 0.18122
 = 10.27° to the horizontal.
Since the surface of the gate is cylindrical, the resultant force R must pass through O.