Chapter 2

FLUID STATICS
by
Amat Sairin Demun

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this chapter, the students are expected to be able to:
1. Calculate the pressure in pipes by using piezometers and manometers.
2. Calculate the hydrostatic pressure force for submerged plane surfaces (magnitude,
location and direction and the related reaction force) – inclined or vertical position.
3. Calculate the hydrostatic pressure force for submerged curved surfaces (magnitude,
location and direction and the related reaction force).

 Study on non-moving fluid – fluid at rest.

2.1) Pressure – Density – Height Relationship

Pressure unit = N/m2 or Pa or Bar

1 kPa = 1 kN/m = 1000 Pa = 1000 N/m2
2

1 Bar = 100 kPa

P  gh
h = vertical height downward from the fluid surface (m).

If the fluid is gas or air, the pressure at all places are the same – the pressure NOT depends on
height h.

If someone says the pressure is 5 cm Mercury, means that the pressure is:

P  gh  13.57 10009.810.05 = 6.66 kPa

2.2) Relationship Between Absolute and Gauge Pressure

Pabs  Pgauge  Patm

atmospheric pressure = 101.3 kPa = 760 mm Hg

2.3) Pressure Measurements

Various types of equipments used to measure pressure.

1. Barometer – to measure atmospheric pressure.

2. Aneroid – to measure air pressure in tyres.
3. Bourdon – to measure fluid pressure.

Bourdon pressure gauge

to measure pressure
of fluid in a pipe.

4. Piezometer – to measure fluid pressure in pipes.

5. Manometers – to measure fluid pressure in pipes, if piezometric tube is not

practical (pressure too high)
The following figures show examples of manometers.
 SIMPLE MANOMETER DIFFERENTIAL MANOMETER

Calculation Procedures:

1. Divide the manometer into sections according to the known vertical height.

2. Draw an arrow pointing DOWNWARD for each of the section.

3. For each drawn arrow, mark (+) or (–) sign.

(+) for the arrow that the direction LEADS to the point where the pressure is to be
known (reference point).
(–) for the arrow that the direction LEAVES the reference point.
If the sign is (+), the pressure for the arrow is + gh and if the sign is (–), the pressure
for the arrow is – gh ; where h is the vertical height of the section containing the
arrow while  is the fluid density in the manometer where the arrow is located.

4. Cancel two pressure which have the same magnitude but opposite direction. Same
magnitude means that they have the same height and the same fluid density, .

5. Sum up all of the pressures taking the pressure at the reference point as the heading.
If the manometer end is open, the pressure at the end is zero.
If the manometer end is another pipe (for differential manometer), add (+) the
pressure value.
2.4) Hydrostatic Pressure Force on Submerged Plane Surfaces

Hydrostatic pressure is the force due to the fluid acting on the submerged plane surface.

Force = Pressure x Area

F = PA = ghA
unit = Newton (N) or kg.m/s2

Force is a vector that must have 3 items:

1. Magnitude
2. Location of act
3. Direction
An inclined submerged plane surface, AB is as shown in the following figure.

Note:-
C = Center of gravity of the Submerged Surface
G = Center of gravity of the whole Plane Surface
P = Center of Pressure (the place where the pressure force acts)

Magnitude: F  ghc A

A= Area of the submerged surface (m2 ).

hc = Vertical height from the fluid surface to the center of
gravity of the submerged plane surface (C) (m).

Location: F is acting on the center of pressure that is at a vertical distance hp from the
fluid surface where:

I sin2 
hp  c  hc ?
Ahc
where:  = the inclined angle (see figure)
Ic = Moment of inertia about the horizontal line through the
center of gravity of the submerged surface (m4) – see Table 2.1

Direction: F acts at the plane surface perpendicular (900) to the wetted surface.
2.5) Hydrostatic Pressure Force on Submerged Curved Surfaces

Curved surfaces AB submerged in a fluid are as shown in the following figures. Compare
both figures and spot the differences.

Two force components: Horizontal force and Vertical force.

1) Horizontal Component, FH

(a) Magnitude: FH is the force equivalent to the force acting on the vertical
plane surface projected from the curved surface (the rectangular image).

FH  ghc A

A= area of the vertical plane surface projected from the

curved surface (area of the rectangular image).
hc = vertical height from the fluid surface to the center of
gravity of the vertical plane surface projected from the
curved surface (the image).

(b) Location: FH acts horizontally at the curved surface through the center of pressure
of the vertical plane surface projected from the curved surface, that is at the
vertical height hp from the fluid surface, where:

Ic
hp   hc because sin 900 = 1 (vertical plane surface)
Ahc
Ic = Moment of inertia about the horizontal line through the
center of the plane surface projected from the curved
surface. (m4) – See Table 2.1.

A and h c is as (a) above.

2) Vertical Component, FV

(a) Magnitude: FV is the force equivalent to the weight of the fluid above the
curved surface.

FV  gV where, V = fluid volume above the curved surface (m3) up to

the fluid surface line.

(b) Location: FV acts vertically at the curved surface through the center of gravity
of the fluid volume above the curved surface (up to the fluid surface), that is at
the horizontal distance x c from a reference vertical line, where:

A1 x1  A2 x2
xc 
A1  A2

A1 = Area of shape 1
A2 = Area of shape 2

x1 = horizontal distance from the center of gravity of area 1 to the

reference vertical line.
x2 = horizontal distance from the center of gravity of area 2 to the
reference vertical line.

3) Resultant Force, F

The resultant force of components FH and FV is:

Magnitude: F  FH2  FV2

Location: F acts at the curved surface through the intersection point of FH and FV
lines.
Direction: F acts at an angle  from horizontal;

 FV 
  tan 1  
 FH 

2.6 The HSTATIC Computer Program

HSTATIC stands for HydroSTATIC is a medium sized executable computer program to

solve any hydrostatic pressure force problem. It is developed by Mr. Amat Sairin Demun
using MS DOS based Fortran programming language. It is able to calculate the pressure
force and the reaction force of fluid acting on a submerged plane and curved surfaces. The
students can copy the file from Mr. Amat Sairin Demun at no cost. To run the computer
program, the students will have to double click the HSTATIC file and just follow the
instructions appear on the computer screen. If you have difficulties running the computer
program, please feel free to contact Mr. Amat Sairin Demun.
TABLE 2.1: Geometric Properties of Plane Surfaces I  I c  Ay c2
Shape Sketch Area, A Loc.of M. of Inertia, Ic or I
Centroid
h
yc 
2 bh 3
b Ic 
Rectangle A = bh xc  12
2

yc 
h bh 3
Ic 
Triangle bh 3 36
A
2

yc 
d d 4
Ic 
Circle d 2 2 64
A
4

d 4
I
4r 128
yc 
Semicircle d 2 3
 
A
8 I c  6.86 10 3 d 4

yc 
h bh 3
Ic 
Ellipse bh 2 64
A
4

4h
yc 
Semi bh 3 bh 3
A Ic 
Ellipse 4 16

xc 
3b 2bh 3
I
8 7
Parabola 2bh
A
3 3h 8bh 3
yc  Ic 
5 175

4r
yc 
3 d 4
I
Quadrant d 2
256
A
16 4r
xc 
3 
I c  3.43 10 3 d 4 

Trapezoid
A
ha  b 
yc 
ha  2b 
Ic 

h 3 a 2  4ab  b 2 
2 3a  b  36a  b 