FORCES ON SUBMERGED

SURFACES IN STATIC FLUIDS

OBJECTIVE
This chapter is designed to help students
achieve the following :
- Understand the concept of forces on submerged
surfaces on static fluids .
- Prove that the value of the surface submerged
directly proportional to the depth.
- Show how the analysis of submerged on the surface
can solving problems in engineering

LEARNING OUTCOME
At the end of this chapter, students will be able to
use knowledge and skills to :
- Defining the submerged surface.
- Express the basic equations in submerged
surface.
- Calculate the magnitude of the force on the
submerged surface
- Determine the point of action.
- Solve simple problems related submerged on
the surface.

SUB TOPIC

HOOVER DAM
For an incompressible fluid at rest the pressure

increases linearly with the fluid depth. As a

consequence, large forces can be developed on
plane and curved surfaces in contact with the fluid.
Hoover dam, on the Colorado river, is the highest
concrete arch-gravity type of dam in the United
States. The water behind Hoover dam is
approximately 715 feet deep and at this depth the
pressure is 310 psi. To withstand the large pressure
forces on the face of the dam, its thickness varies
from 45 feet at the top to 660 feet at the base.

FLUID PRESSURE ON A SURFACE

Pressure is force per unit area.
Pressure,p acting on a small area A exerted force

will be:

F = pA
Due to the fluid is in a static, the force is

perpendicular to the surface of the object.

RESULTANT FORCE AND CENTRE OF

PRESSURE ON A GENERAL PLANE SURFACE
IN A LIQUID
Consider plate embedded in a fluid like the

diagram below;

CONT
Assumes

= fluid density
= inclined at an angle on the water surface
A = area of the small surface
F = forces acting on the small surface A
h = vertical distance to the centroid of area A
hC = vertical distance to the centroid of the area
of the point submerged surface

CONT
The pressure on an element A,

p = gh

So force on element,

F = pA
= ghA

CONT
Resultant force can be found by summing all of

these forces
FR = ghA
hA is known as the (1st Moment of Area) of the

plane O.

hA = hCA

CONT
The resultant force on a plane

FR = ghCA
The point at which the force FR acts named center

of pressure, CP

CONT
Determination of CP points

The moment of FR will be equal to the sum of the

moments of the forces on all the elements A
about the same point.

CONT
Moment of F about O

Moment

= ghAy
= g(ysin)Ay
= gy2sinA

Sum of moments = gsiny2A

CONT
Moment of force F about O

Moment

= ghCAyR

= gyCsinAyR
Sum of moments is the same

gsiny2A = gyCsinAyR
yR = (y2A )/(yCA)

CONT
yR = (y2A )/(yCA)
= IX/yCA
where
IX = This term is known as 2nd Moment of
Area of the plane (about the axis
through O)

CONT
IX = IXC + AyC2
So
yR = (IXC/yCA) + yC
where
IXC = 2nd moment of area about an axis
through the centroid c of the plane

CONT
If measured vertically,

hR = yRsin

THE 2ND MOMENT OF AREA

SUBMERGED VERTICAL SURFACE

Method- PRESSURE DIAGRAM
The magnitude of the force is equal to the volume of

the pressure prism.

Consider the tank in the diagram below

CONT
Assumes;

= fluid density
h = submerged surface height
h = the pressure at the base of the prism
Area of the triangle represents the resultant of

force per unit width (N/m).

CONT
Area

= (1/2)ghh
= (1/2) gh2

Resultant force per unit width

(1/2) gh2 (b)

= ghC A
where
hC = h/2
hxb =A

CONT
The force acts through the centroid of the pressure

diagram.
Example;
For a triangle the centroid is at = (2/3) h
For some circumstances, the concept of pressure

prism can still be used but some adjustments need

to be done.

CONT

SUBMERGED CURVED SURFACE

The resultant force must be found by combining

the elemental forces obtain from the vertical and

horizontal components.
Consider the diagram below;

CONT
Horizontal forces forces acting on projection of

the curved surface.

Vertical force weight of fluid directly above the
curved surface
The total force, FT = (FH2 + FV2)1/2
angle the resultant force,

= tan-1(FV/FH)

EXAMPLE
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5

EXERCISE
Determine the cable tension(assume b = 4 ft)

Weight,W is 2000 lb. Define h.

Define h (assume long horizontal plate is 6 ft).

Define h if force P = 0

EXERCISE
Reference

B. R Munson, D. F Young, T H. Okiishi,

Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics, John Wiley,
2002
Chap 2, page 92, 93, 94 & 95

Question 2.58, 2.61, 2.62, 2.68, 2.70