1.
HYDROSTATIC
FORCE ON SURFACES
FLUID PRESSURE AT A POINT
Force Distribution in Fluid Containment
Fluid in a vessel exerts force on all surface points of the container’s sides and
bottom.
Tangential (Shear) Stress Absence
When fluid is at rest, no tangential (shear) force acts on the container walls.
Normal Force on Container Walls
The force exerted by resting fluid is perpendicular (normal) to the surface area.
Intensity of Pressure
Defined as the normal force per unit area.
Also known as specific pressure, unit pressure, static pressure, or simply
“pressure.”
Formula for Pressure
If F is the total force distributed over an area A: P = F/A
• Pressure is the force exerted per unit area on the surface of an object.
In fluids (liquids and gases), pressure is a measure of how much force the fluid exerts
on the walls of its container or on any surface it contacts.
• Pressure Head of Liquid: When pressure is expressed in terms of height of liquid, it is
commonly called pressure head. It is denoted by h.
• Static pressure is a general term for the pressure in a stationary fluid
• hydrostatic pressure specifically refers to the pressure variation within a fluid due to
gravity and depth.
Hydrostatic pressure is a subset of static pressure but is uniquely associated with the
effect of gravity on a fluid’s weight.
Tire Pressure: The air inside a tire pushes against the walls of the tire, creating pressure.
Water Pressure: As you go deeper underwater, the pressure increases due to the weight of
the water above.
Types of Pressure:
Atmospheric Pressure: The pressure exerted by the weight of the Earth's atmosphere at any
given point. At sea level, it is approximately 101.3 kPa or 1 atmosphere
Gauge Pressure: The pressure relative to atmospheric pressure. For example, a gauge on a
tire reads the pressure above atmospheric pressure.
Absolute Pressure: The total pressure, including atmospheric pressure. Absolute pressure is
gauge pressure plus atmospheric pressure.
Hydrostatic Pressure: Pressure within a fluid due to the weight of the fluid above a point,
increasing with depth.
Pressure in Fluids:
Fluids exert pressure in all directions at any given point within the fluid.
In a stationary fluid, pressure acts equally in all directions and increases with depth due to
gravity (as in the case of hydrostatic pressure).
Importance of Pressure:
Pressure is fundamental in fluid mechanics and engineering applications, from hydraulics and
pneumatics to understanding weather patterns and designing containers that can withstand
internal or external forces.
Static Pressure vs. Hydrostatic Pressure
[Link] Pressure:
o Static pressure refers to the pressure exerted by a fluid at rest in
any part of a system or container.
o It is a measure of the energy per unit volume and acts equally in all
directions within the fluid.
o Static pressure is influenced by external factors, such as
atmospheric pressure, and can exist regardless of whether gravity
is acting on the fluid.
o Example: The pressure inside a sealed container filled with gas is
the static pressure.
Static Pressure vs. Hydrostatic Pressure
2. Hydrostatic Pressure:
Hydrostatic pressure is a specific type of static pressure that occurs in a fluid
due to the weight of the fluid column above a point.
It varies with depth due to gravity and is calculated as:
P = ρgh,
where:
Ρ = fluid density,
G = acceleration due to gravity, and
H = depth of the fluid.
Hydrostatic pressure increases with depth, meaning the deeper in the fluid,
the greater the pressure exerted by the fluid above.
Hydrostatic pressure is a subset of static pressure but is uniquely associated
with the effect of gravity on a fluid’s weight.
Example: The pressure exerted by water at different depths in a tank or ocean is
Pascal`s Law:
• This law states that the liquid at rest transmits pressure with equal intensity in all
the directions and the direction of liquid pressure is always perpendicular to the
surface on which it acts.
Effect of shape and size of container
Static Pressure
The hydrostatic pressure depends solely on the depth of the fluid. Thus, the pressures
at points pa = pb= pc , as these points lie at the same depth in the same fluid.
How about other points?
Effect of shape and size of container
If a liquid is poured into a set of communicating vessels it rises to same height in each although
they may have very different sizes and shapes. The pressure must be the same at all points along
the horizontal tube (A, B, C, D, E) in the apparatus otherwise the liquid would be moving from
one part of it to another. Hence the only factors on which the pressure of a liquid column
depends are its vertical height and its density i.e.
P pressure
density of the liquid
i.e. P gh ( h ) ; Where
g gravitatio nal accelerati on
h depth of the point below the liquid surface
How about the pressure in the
ports
Example - 1
Cylindrical water tank 10m diameter and 15m high is filled with water. Find;
(a) The intensity of water pressure on the bottom of the tank.
(b) The total force on the bottom.
(c) The maximum, minimum and average intensity of pressure on the
vertical wall.
(d) Total force on the vertical wall.
Solution;
Given; h w 15m, w 9.81kN / m 3 , specific weight of water
(a ) P w h w 9.81 15 147.15kN / m 2
d 2
( b) Total force on the bottom, F P.A w h w A bottom area of the tank, d diameter of tank
4
(10) 2
9.81 15 11,557kN
4
(c) (i) maximum pressure intensity occurs at the bottom of the wall (h max 15m)
Pmax w h max 9.81 15 147.15kN / m 2
(ii) minimum pressure intensity occurs at the top of the wall (h min 0)
Pmin w h max 9.81 0 0kN / m 2
P Pmin 147.15 0 2
(iii) Average pressure intensity Pavg max 73.57kN / m
2 2
(d ) Total force on the vertical wall; F Pavg A s ; A s Surface area of wall dh 10 15
F 73.57 471 34,641 kN
Example - 2
Convert a pressure head of 100m of water to pressure head of;
(a)Kerosene of [Link] 0.81
(b)Carbon tetrachloride of [Link] 1.6
