Hydrostatic Pressure and Forces

• Introduction:
Hydrostatic forces are the resultant force caused by the pressure
loading of a liquid acting on a submerged surfaces. The center of
pressure is a point on the immersed surface at which the resultant
hydrostatic pressure acts.
Practically, the location and magnitude of water pressure force
acting on water-control structures such as dams, levees and gates,
are very important to their structural design. Hydrostatic force and its
line of action is also required for the design of many parts of
hydraulic equipment.
Learning Outcomes:

After the lesson, the students should be able to;

1. Develop comprehension on the effects of liquid pressure in

hydraulic structures.
2. Analyze and solve hydrostatic pressure and forces applied in
hydraulic structures such as in water gates and dams.
Principles of Hydro statics:
• Unit Pressure
By definition, Pressure/Unit Pressure is the force per unit area exerted
by a liquid or gas on a body or surface, with the force acting at right angles
to the surface uniformly in all directions.
Generally, Pressure, P = (force, F)/(area. A)
Expressed in KPa, Pa, Psi, Psf
> If unit pressure is the same at every point;
P=F/A
> If unit pressure is different at every points;
P=dP/dA
• Pascal’s Law
- Develop by French mathematician Blaise Pascal, States
that At any point in a fluid at rest, the pressure is the same in all
directions
Free Surface of a Liquid
•  Strictly speaking, a liquid having a free surface is one on whose
surface, there is absolutely no pressure.
•  But there is always some pressure (Atmospheric) on the surface of
every liquid.
•  In Practice, the free surface of a liquid is considered to be a surface
of that is NOT IN CONTACT with the cover of the containing vessel.
Such surface, MAY or MAY NOT be subjected to Atmospheric Pressure.

FREE SURFACE
*The Free Surface of a Liquid at Rest is HORIZONTAL at
Rest.
•  Liquids at Rest cannot resist shearing stress
produced by an inclined surface, therefore the free
surface must be Horizontal.
•  Liquids seek their own level.
 Types of Pressure
• Gage (gauge) Pressure - denoted by Pg
it is the most common pressure reference.
it is the pressure above or below the atmosphere and can be measure by
pressure gauges or manometers.
Changes of the atmospheric pressure due to weather conditions or
altitude directly influence the output of gauge pressure sensor.
 Gauge pressure is positive when it is higher than ambient atmosphere,it
is negative or vacuum gage pressure when lower.

Note: Pressure not specified is always a Gage pressure.

Atmospheric Pressure & Vacuum
Pressure at any one point on the earth’s surface from the weight of the
air above it.
A vacuum is a space that has all matter remove from it.
 Under normal conditions at sea level.
p(atm= )2166 psf or lb/ft^2
= 14.7 psi
= 29.9 inches of mercury (hg)
= 760 mm Hg
= 101.325 kpa
Absolute Pressure

• The pressure above absolute zero (vacuum)

Pabs= Pgage + Patm
• Note: 1. Absolute zero is attained if all air is remove. It is the lowest
possible pressure attainable.
2. Absolute pressure can never be negative.
3. The smallest gage pressure is equal to the negative of the ambient
atmospheric pressure.
Relationship between Absolute and Gage
Pressures
• The simplest way to explain the difference
between absolute and gauge pressure is
that;
Absolute Pressure uses absolute zero as its
zero point while gauge pressure uses
atmospheric pressure as its zero point.
Due to varying atmospheric pressure, gauge
pressure measurement is not precise, while
aboslute pressure is definite.
 Derivation of Pressure Formula;
Pressure, P = Force/Area = F/A
Due to gravity, F = Fg ; Fg = Weight, W
Therefore; P = W/A ; Unit Weight, γ = Weight/Volume = W/V
and W = γ .V ; V = A.h
P = γ .V/A = γ .A.h/A ; Cancel A;
P = γ .h (Unit Weight x pressure head)
or; F = ma (mass x acceleration) ; W = mg
due to gravity, a = g (gravitation accel); m = W/g
P = F/A = ma/A = W.g/g.A = γ .V.g/g.A = γ .A.h.g/g.A ; Cancel A & g
P = γ .h
 Variations in Pressure

• Consider any two points, whose

difference in elevation is h, to lie in
the ends of an elementary prism
having a cross-sectional area a and a
length of L. Since this prism is at
rest, all forces acting upon it must
be in equilibrium.
Note: Free Liquid Surface refers to
liquid surface subject to zero Gage
pressure or with atmospheric pressure
only.
• From the figure :
W = γV
W = γ (aL)
• ƩFx = 0
F2 - F1=W sinθ
P2A- P1A= γ. AL sinθ
P2- P1= γ L sinθ but L
sinθ=h

P2- P1= γ h
P2 = P1 +γ h
P2- P1= γ h
P2 = P1 +γ h

•  This means that at any change in pressure at point 1

would cause an equal change at point 2. Therefore, a
pressure applied at any point in a liquid at rest is transmitted
equally and do not decrease to every other point in the
liquid.
P1 •  Let us assume that point 1 in the
figure lies on the free liquid surface, the
gage pressure, p1 then is zero and the
equation will be;
• p2- p1= γ h
p2 - 0 = γ h or p = γ h

This means that the pressure at any point

“h” below a free liquid surface is equal to
the product of unit weight of the fluid
involve and height, h.
 If point 1 and 2 lie on the same
elevation, h = 0, then p1=p2.
Pressure below layers of different liquids:
• Consider the closed tank filled
with liquids of different densities and
with air on top under a gage pressure
of PA , the pressure at the bottom of
the tank is determine by the
equation;
Pbottom= pAir+Ʃγ.h
• = pAir + γ1.h1+ γ2.h2+γ3.h3
• Pressure Head
The height “h” of a column of homogeneous liquid of unit weight γ that will
produce an intensity of pressure p.

h= p/γ

Relationships of pressure heads of two Liquids, say A and B:

hB= hA. GsA/Gs.B

or hB = hA . pA/pB
or hB = hA.γA/γB
• Converting pressure head of a liquid into water form;
hwater= hliquid x Gsliquid
• Calculating Pressure at any point in the
liquid with corresponding height.
(Pressure Head, h)
Note: (add) ; (subract)

Pressure @B:
Sol’n: PA + γ h1 = PB ; (PA = 0)
PB = γ h1
Pressure @C:
Sol’n: PA + PB + γ h2 = PC ; (PA = 0)
PC = PB + γ h2
Example:

A tank contains oil, kerosene and sea water liquids with specific gravity and depth
respectively.
1. Calculate the pressure at a depth of 1.20 meters.
2. What is amount of pressure at a depth of 1.80 m?
3. Calculate the pressure at the bottom of the tank.
Solution:
1. At a depth of 1.20 meters below the top most surface (oil);

• Pressure at depth of 1.20 m

Note: γliquid = γwater x Gs liquid

P = γ oil.h + γ kerosene.h
P = 9.81(0.80)(0.50) + 9.81(0.90)(0.70)
P = 10.104 KN/m2
2. At a depth of 1.80 m, what is the pressure?
P = γ oil.h + γ kerosene.h + γ sea water.h
P = 9.81(0.80)(0.50) + 9.81(0.90)(0.80)
+ 9.81(0.90)(0.50)
P = 16.04 KN/m2
3. Calculate the pressure at the bottom of the
tank?
P = 9.81(0.80)(0.50) + 9.81(0.90)(0.80)
+ 9.81(1.03)(1)
P = 21.092 KN/m2
Example 2: Compute the pressure at A, B and D
• Pressure at A:
Consider the outside water
surface as reference point;
PA = 0 - 9.81(0.4+0.4)
PA = - 7.848 KPa
• Pressure at B:
Consider the outside water surface as reference
point;
PA = 0 + 9.81(0.50)
PA = 4.905 KPa

• Pressure at D:
P = 0 + 9.81(0.5) + 9.81 (0.90)(0.4+0.5+1)
p = 21.68 KPa