Fluid Mechanics

Ch3: Pressure and Fluid Statics

Contents:-
1. Pressure
2. Different pressure measurements
3. Pressure measurements devices.

Lecture (3)
1- Pressure
Pressure: A normal force exerted by a fluid
per unit area

The normal stress (or “pressure”) on the

feet of a chubby person is much greater
than on the feet of a slim person.
Some basic
pressure gages.
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Absolute pressure:
The actual pressure at a given position. It is measured relative to absolute vacuum (i.e., absolute zero
pressure).
Gage pressure:
The difference between the absolute pressure and the local atmospheric pressure. Most pressure-measuring
devices are calibrated to read zero in the atmosphere, and so they indicate gage pressure.
Vacuum pressures:
Pressures below atmospheric pressure.

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Variation of Pressure with Depth
The vertical distance Δz is sometimes used as a measure of pressure, and it is
called the pressure head.

Free surface (liquid

open to atmosphere)

Pressure in a liquid at rest

increases linearly with distance
from the free surface.
 In stacked-up fluid layers, the pressure
change across a fluid layer of density 
and height h is gh.

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Variation of Pressure with Depth
Pressure in a fluid at rest is independent of the shape or cross section of the container.
It changes with the vertical distance but remains constant in other directions.
Therefore, the pressure is the same at all points on a horizontal plane in a given fluid.

Note: The pressures at

points H and I are not
the same although they
are at the same depth,
Why?
A consequence of the pressure in a fluid remaining
constant in the horizontal direction is that:

Pascal’s law: The pressure applied to a confined fluid

increases the pressure throughout by the same amount.

The area ratio A2/A1 is called the ideal

mechanical advantage of the hydraulic lift.

Lifting of a large weight (1000 Kg

car) by a small force ( 10 Kgf= 90.8
N, A2/A1=100) by the application of
Pascal’s law.
Pressure decreases at high altitudes

At high altitudes, a car engine generates

less power, and a person gets less oxygen
because of the lower density of air.
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PRESSURE MEASUREMENT DEVICES
The Barometer
• Atmospheric pressure is measured by a device called a barometer; thus, the
atmospheric pressure is often referred to as barometric pressure.
• A frequently used pressure unit is the standard atmosphere, which is defined as the
pressure produced by a column of mercury 760 mm in height at 0°C (Hg = 13,595
kg/m3) under standard gravitational acceleration (g = 9.807 m/s2).
𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑚 = 13595 × 9.81 × 0.76 = 101358 Pa
=1.01358 bar
= 1 atm.

The length or the cross-

sectional area of the tube has
no effect on the height of the
fluid column of a barometer,
provided that the tube
diameter is large enough to
avoid surface tension
(capillary) effects.

The basic barometer.

The U- tube Manometer A simple U-tube
manometer, with high
A fluid column can be used to pressure applied to the
measure pressure differences. right side.
A manometer mainly consists of a glass or plastic
U-tube containing one or more fluids.
 The basic manometer.
The Manometer
It is commonly used to measure small and moderate pressure
differences. A manometer contains one or more fluids such as
mercury, water, alcohol, or oil.
Manometers are well-suited to measure pressure drops across a horizontal
flow section between two specified points due to the presence of a device
such as a valve.
P1= P2
This is done by connecting the two legs of the manometer to these two
points.

P1= P2

𝑃𝑔𝑎𝑠 = 𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑚 + 𝜌𝑔ℎ

Measuring the pressure drop across a flow section or a flow device by

a differential manometer. Starting at point 1 with P1, moving along
the tube by adding or subtracting the terms gh until reaching 2
Differential U- tube manometer
It used to measure the pressure difference
between two tanks A and B

𝜌1
𝜌1 𝑔 = 𝛾1

𝜌3
𝜌2

𝑃1 𝑃2 𝑃1 𝑃2

𝑃1 = 𝑃2
𝑃1 = 𝑃2
𝑃𝐴 + 𝜌1 𝑔ℎ1 = 𝑃𝐵 + 𝜌2 𝑔ℎ2 + 𝜌3 𝑔ℎ3 𝑃𝑋 + 𝜌1 𝑔 × 2.5 + 1.5 + 𝜌2 𝑔 × 𝑎 = 𝑃𝑌 + 𝜌3 𝑔 × (𝑎 + 1.5)
𝑃𝐴 − 𝑃𝐵 = 𝜌2 𝑔ℎ2 + 𝜌3 𝑔ℎ3 − 𝜌1 𝑔ℎ1
If the value of a is given, we can get the value of Px-PY
Pressure difference
Differential U-tube Manometer Method-1 𝑃𝐴 = 𝑃𝐵

𝑃1 + 𝜌1 𝑔 𝑎 + ℎ = 𝑃2 + 𝜌1 𝑔𝑎 + 𝜌2 𝑔ℎ

𝑃1 − 𝑃2 = 𝜌1 𝑔𝑎 + 𝜌2 𝑔ℎ − 𝜌1 𝑔 𝑎 + ℎ

Pressure difference

Measuring the pressure drop across a flow section or

Method- 2 a flow device by a differential manometer. Starting
at point 1 with P1, moving along the tube by adding
or subtracting the terms gh until reaching 2

Negative
-
Positive
+

Please go from 1 to 2 through the

manometer use (+) down and (-) for going up
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Please try solving these problems and the
solution will be available next lecture ISA
Please try solving these problems and the
solution will be available next lecture ISA
Please try solving these problems and the
solution will be available next lecture ISA
Please try solving these problems and the
solution will be available next lecture ISA
Please try solving these problems and the
solution will be available next lecture ISA
Other Pressure Measurement Devices
• Bourdon tube: Consists of a hollow metal tube
bent like a hook whose end is closed and
connected to a dial indicator needle.
• Pressure transducers: Use various techniques
to convert the pressure effect to an electrical
effect such as a change in voltage, resistance,
or capacitance.
• Pressure transducers are smaller and faster,
and they can be more sensitive, reliable, and
precise than their mechanical counterparts.

Various types of
Bourdon tubes are
used to measure
25 pressure.
 Bourdon Gage

It is a very simple and common pressure-

measuring device for obtaining rapid
readings of fluid pressures.

The basic principle of operation is that a

curved, flattened tube (Bourdon tube) will
attempt to straighten out when subjected
to internal pressure.

The end of the tube is connected with a

linkage to a rotary dial indicator.

How this works ?

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Pressure Transducers

Strain-Gage Pressure Transducer

A very common and relatively inexpensive device used to measure fluid pressure.

The test pressure is applied to one side of the diaphragm, a reference pressure to the other side, and the
deflection of the diaphragm is sensed with strain gages.

Most strain-gage pressure transducers produce a DC output in the millivolt range, but some include
internal amplifiers and have outputs in the range 0 to 5 or 0 to 10 V.

Test pressure

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Capacitive Pressure Transducer

Capacitive sensors are sometimes used in pressure transducers and are particularly useful for very
low pressures (as low as 0.1 Pa) since capacitive sensors can detect extremely small deflections.

Measuring pressures that are varying rapidly in time presents a number of technical problems. The
fluid and the diaphragm (or other displacing elements) form a second-order dynamic system.

The distance between

the plate and the area
of the plates

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