Laboratory Report

Experiment 4
Hydrostatic Pressure on Plane Surfaces
Introduction

Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure exerted by a fluid at rest due to the weight of fluid
surface. Hydrostatic pressure and its resulting force have a wide variety of applications.
One device used to measure hydrostatic force is an Hydrostatics Pressure system. The
Hydrostatic force at any point on the curved surface is normal to the surface and therefore
resolves through the pivot point because this is located at the origin of the radii.
Hydrostatic forces on the upper and lower curved surfaces therefore have no net effect – no
torque to affect the equilibrium of the assembly because all of these forces pass through the
pivot. The forces on the sides of the quadrant are horizontal and cancel out (equal and
opposite).

Using the known masses applied to the end of the system and the height of the water in the
chamber, the center of pressure and hydrostatic force as well as mass can be determined
using a series of equations.

The resulting turning moment about the knife edge from the hydrostatic forces is therefore
given by:

The resulting moment is resisted by the weight of the mass on the balance arm at distance
L from the knife edge by:

Now considering the cases of partial immersion and complete immersion separately:

When the vertical end face of the quadrant is only partially immersed, the geometric
properties of the wetted portion of the end face are:
Substituting for and rearranging the above equation shows that the force acting on the
wetted end surface can be calculated from the experimental results of M and y :

Which can then be compared with the theoretical result:

When the end surface is fully immersed, the properties of the submerged end face are:

Which can be compared with the theoretical result calculated from:

From the study by hydrostatic, the following principles have been established:

 There are no shear stresses present when the fluid is not in motion.
 The pressure exerted by a fluid under hydrostatics conditions. This pressure acts
perpendicular to an immersed surface.
 Hydrostatic pressure various linearly, increasing with an increase in depth.
Results

L=274 mm a=121 mm
D=100 mm b=74 mm

I. Partial Immersion

TRIALS 1 2 3

Total weight on arm 204 g 154 g 104 g

M (grams)

Depth of water y 96 mm 83 mm 68 mm
(mm)

Force on end surface 2.901 N 2.141 N 1.409 N

(experimental) (N)

Force on end surface 2.042 N 1.351 N 0.640 N

(theoretical) (N)

Depth of center of 32 mm 28 mm 23 mm
pressure (mm)

II. Complete Immersion

TRIALS 1 2 3

Total weight on arm 354 g 304 g 254 g

M (grams)

Depth of water y 133 mm 120 mm 109 mm

(mm)

Force on end surface 5.293 N 4.514 N 3.743 N

(experimental) (N)

Force on end surface 6.019 N 5.0764 N 4.279 N

(theoretical) (N)

Depth of center of 91.8 mm 80 mm 70.4 mm

pressure (mm)
Sample calculations for partial immersion - trial 1:

Force on end surface (experimental) (N)

F=(MgL)/(a+d-(y/3))

=(0.204x9.81x0.274)/(0.121+0.10-(0.096/3))

=2.901 N

Force on end surface (theoretical) (N)

F=(1/2)pgby^2

=(1/2)(1000x9.81x0.074x0.096^2)

=2.042 N

Depth of center of pressure (mm)

Hp=2y/3

=2(0.096)/3

=32 mm

Sample calculations for complete immersion - trial 1:

Force on end surface (experimental) (N)

F=(MgL)/(a+(d/2)+(d^2/12H))

=(0.354x9.81x0.274)/(0.121+(0.10/2)+(0.10^2/12x0.095))

=5.293 N

Force on end surface (theoretical) (N)

F=pg(y-(d/2))bd

=1000x9.81(0.133-(0.10/2))(0.074x0.10)

=6.019 N

Depth of center of pressure (mm)

Hp=y-(d/2)+(d^2/12H)

=-0.133-(0.10/2)+(0.10^2/12x0.095)

=91.8 mm

Documentation of measurements:
Discussion

Partially Submerged Surface:

As the height of water in the chamber of the pressure system increases, the hydrostatic
force on the vertical rectangular surface of the quadrant increases as well. Due to the
power relationship between variables, as height increases, each resulting change in height
results in a larger increase in the value of hydrostatic pressure. Since the moment about the
pivot on the right end of the balance bridge arm must be equal to zero, the moment due to
the weight of the applied masses is equal to the moment due to the hydrostatic force on the
surface. As a result, as height increases, hydrostatic force increases and mass/weight must
increase as well.

Fully Submerged Surface:

Hydrostatic force is increasing steadily with the increasing height of water in the chamber
of the pressure system. as the height of water in the chamber increases; the applied mass
must also increase. This is once again due to the fact that the moments about the pivot must
balance. As the height of water in the chamber increases, the applied mass must also
increase to counteract the moment due to the hydrostatic force acting on the quadrant
Similar to the partially submerged surface, as height increases, the center of pressure is
decreasing towards to centroid of the vertical rectangular surface. In other words, the
distance of the center of pressure from the arm decreases as the height of water in the
chamber increases.

Possible errors that occurred or committed during the experiment:

There can be human error in the inaccurate water height reading, which would
consequently affect everything where height was used to calculate. Experimentally, a
source of error may be in the possibility of water splashing onto the balance bridge arm
while it was poured. This would cause an increase in to the applied masses. However, these
errors are so minor that it is likely that, even if they were present in the experiment, they
would have little, to no, effect on the results.