Chapter 3 Fluid Statics

Outline

3.1 Pressure at a Point

3.2 Variation of Pressure with Depth
3.3 Pressure Expressed in Height of Fluid
3.4 Absolute and Gage Pressures
3.5 Measurement of Pressure
 Objectives

1. Understand fluid pressure and how it relates to depth.

2. Understand absolute, atmospheric, and gage
pressures and how pressure is measured.
 Definitions and Applications

Statics: no relative motion between adjacent fluid layers.

Shear stress is zero
Only _pressure can be acting on fluid surfaces
Gravity force acts on the fluid (_body force)
Applications:
Pressure variation within a reservoir
Forces on submerged surfaces
Tensile stress on pipe walls
Buoyant forces
 Motivation?

What are the pressure forces behind

the Hoover Dam?
 Hoover Dam

Tall: 220 m
Crest thickness: 13.7 m
Base thickness: 201 m
WHY???

Hoover Dam in 1935

Hoover Dam

Example of elevation
head z converted to
velocity head V2/2g.
We'll discuss this in
more detail in
Bernoulli equation.
 What do you think?

Lake Mead, the lake behind Hoover Dam, is the world's

largest artificial body of water by volume (35 km3). Is the
pressure at the base of Hoover Dam affected by the
volume of water in Lake Mead?
 What do we need to know?

Pressure variation with direction

Pressure variation with location
How can we calculate the total force on a
submerged surface?
 3.1 Pressure at a point

Pressure is defined as a normal force exerted by a fluid

per unit area.
Units of pressure are N/m2, which is called a pascal (Pa).
Since the unit Pa is too small for pressures encountered
in practice, kilopascal (1 kPa = 103 Pa) and megapascal
(1 MPa = 106 Pa) are commonly used.
Other units include bar, atm
(1 bar = 105 Pa)
Pressure

T
A
A P
P
p =
A
P
Gate
P
p = lim
A0 A
 Pressure at a Point: Pascals Law

Pressure is the normal force per unit area at a

given point acting on a given plane within a
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) fluid mass of interest.
How does the pressure at a point vary with orientation of the plane passing
through the point?
Pressure Forces
F.B.D. Gravity Force Wedged Shaped Fluid
Mass

p is average pressure in the x, y, and z direction.

Ps is the average pressure on the surface
is the plane inclination
is the length is each coordinate direction, x, y, z
V = (1/2yz)*x
s is the length of the plane
is the specific weight
 Pressure at a Point: Pascals Law
For simplicity in our Free Body Diagram, the x-pressure forces
cancel and do not need to be shown. Thus to arrive at our solution
we balance only the the y and z forces:
Pressure Force Rigid body
Pressure Force motion in the y-
in the y-direction
on the plane in direction
on the y-face
the y-direction

Pressure Force Pressure Force Rigid body

in the z-direction in the plane in Weight of the motion in the z-
on the z-face the z-direction Wedge
direction
Now, we can simplify each equation in each direction, noting that y and z can
be rewritten in terms of s:
 Pressure at a Point: Pascals Law

Substituting and rewriting the equations of motion, we obtain:

Math

Now, noting that we are really interested at point only, we let

y and z go to zero:

Pascals Law: the pressure at a point in a fluid at rest, or in motion, is

independent of the direction as long as there are no shearing stresses
present.
 Pressure at a Point: Pascals Law

p1xs
p2xs psxs

ps = p1 = p2

Note: In dynamic system subject to shear, the normal stress representing

the pressure in the fluid is not necessarily the same in all directions. In
such a case the pressure is taken as the average of the three directions.
 TWO important principles about pressure

Pressure at any point is the same in all directions.

In a fluid confined by solid boundaries, pressure acts
perpendicular to the boundary.

Fluid surfaces

Figure Pressure acting Figure Direction of fluid

uniformly in all directions pressures on boundaries
p1

p2
3.2 Variation of Pressure with Depth

In the presence of a gravitational field,

pressure increases with depth because more
fluid rests on deeper layers.
To obtain a relation for the variation of
pressure with depth, consider rectangular
element
Force balance in z-direction gives
F z = maz = 0
P2 x P1x g xz = 0

Dividing by x and rearranging gives

P = P2 P1 = g z = s z
or p2 = p1 + gh
Variation of Pressure with Depth
 Variation of Pressure with Depth

Pressure in a fluid at rest is independent of the shape of the

container.
Pressure is the same at all points on a horizontal plane in a given
fluid.
 3.3 Pressure Expressed in Height of Fluid

If a fluid is incompressible...
p = h
p
h=

When pressure is expressed as a height, it is referred to as pressure
head (units of ft or m).

Figure : Relationship of pressure and height.

 3.3 Pressure Expressed in Height of Fluid

kPa
h( m of H 2O ) = = 0 1020 kPa
9.81
For an incompressible static fluid, the sum of the pressure
head and the elevation head are equal a constant...

p p1
+z= + z1 = Constant

Figure : Pressure and elevation head relationship.

 Equipressure Surface

(Equality Of Pressure At The Same Level In A Static Fluid)

Fluid density,
A A
PL PR Figure Horizontal element
cylinder of fluid
W = mg

Consider the horizontal cylindrical element of fluid with cross sectional

area, A, in a fluid of density , pressure PL at the left end and PR at the
right end.
Fluid is at equilibrium, so the sum of forces acting on the x-direction is zero.
() F =0.
pLA pRA = 0
pL = pR
This proof that pressure in the horizontal direction is constant.
 In the flow field under gravity, equipressure surface must
satisfy the following conditions
1.At rest
2.Connection
3.Medium in connection is the same homogenous fluid
4.The only mass force is gravity
5. At the same level

which surface in fig is

equipressure surface ?

surface C-C ; surface B-B

 3.4 Absolute, gage, and vacuum pressures

Actual pressure at a give point is called the absolute pressure.

Most pressure-measuring devices are calibrated to read zero in the
atmosphere, and therefore indicate gage pressure, Pgage=Pabs - Patm.
Pressure below atmospheric pressure are called vacuum pressure,
Pvac=Patm - Pabs.
 3.4 Absolute, gage, and vacuum pressures

Absolute pressure equals the atmospheric pressure plus

the gage pressure

pabs = patm + pgage

Barometric pressure is another word for atmospheric pressure

 Unit of Pressure

a. Stress unit : PaN/m2 kPaKN/ m2

b. Barometric pressure
Barometric pressure1atm=1.013105Pa=101.3 kPa
1at=98000Pa
c. Height of liquid column
Height of water column mH20
For 1at:

Height of mercury column mmHg

for 1at:
 Example 1

What will be the gauge pressure and absolute pressure of

water at a depth 12m below the surface? Take water = 1000
kg/m3 and Patm = 101 kN/m2
Solution:
Pgauge = gh
= 1000 x 9.81 x 12
= 117.7 kN/m2 (kPa)
Pabs = Pgauge + Patm
= (117.7 + 101) kN/m2
= 218.7 kN/m2
 Example 2

A cylinder contains a fluid at a gauge pressure of 200 kN/m2.

Express this pressure in terms of
head of water ( =1000 kg/m3)
head of mercury (SG=13.6)
What would be the absolute pressure if the atmospheric
pressure is, Patm = 101.3 kN/m2.
Solution:
h= P/g
a) for water: h = 200x103/(1000x9.81)
= 20.39 m of water.
b) for mercury h = 200x103/(13.6x1000x9.81)
= 1.5 m of mercury
Absolute pressure = Patm + Pgauge
= 101.3 + 200 = 301.3 kN/m2.
3.5 Measurement of Pressure

Barometer
Bourdon gage
Pressure transducer
Piezometer column
Simple manometer
Measurement of Pressure: Schematic

-
+

+
 Barometer

The first mercury barometer was constructed in 1643-1644 by Torricelli. He

showed that the height of mercury in a column was 1/14 that of a water barometer,
due to the fact that mercury is 14 times more dense that water. He also noticed
Evangelista Torricelli that level of mercury varied from day to day due to weather changes, and that at
(1608-1647) the top of the column there is a vacuum.

Torricellis Sketch Schematic:

Animation of Experiment:

Note, often pvapor is very small,

0.0000231 psia at 68 F, and
patm is 14.7 psi, thus:
 The Barometer ( )

Atmospheric pressure is measured

by a device called a barometer;
thus, atmospheric pressure is
often referred to as the barometric
pressure.
PC can be taken to be zero since
there is only Hg vapor above
point C, and it is very low relative
to Patm.
Change in atmospheric pressure
due to elevation has many effects:
Cooking, nose bleeds, engine
PC + gh = Patm performance, aircraft performance.

Patm = gh
 Manometry

Manometry is a standard technique for measuring pressure using

liquid columns in vertical or include tubes. The devices used in this
manner are known as manometers(.

3 common types of manometers including:

1) The Piezometer Tube

2) The U-Tube Manometer
3) The Inclined Tube Manometer
 Piezometer Tube()

Pressure can be estimated po

by measuring fluid elevation Disadvantages:

1)The pressure in the container has to
Move Up the be greater than atmospheric pressure.
Tube 2) Pressure must be relatively small to
Closed End Container maintain a small column of fluid.
pA (abs) 3) The measurement of pressure must
be of a liquid.

Moving from left to right: pA(abs) - 1h1 = po

Rearranging: p A po = 1h1
Gage Pressure

Then in terms of gage pressure, the equation for a Piezometer Tube:

Note: pA = p1 because they are at the same level

 U-Tube Manometer

Note: in the same fluid we can

Closed End
jump across from 2 to 3 as
Container they are at the sam level, and
thus must have the same
pA pressure.

The fluid in the U-tube is known

as the gage fluid. The gage fluid
type depends on the application,
i.e. pressures attained, and
whether the fluid measured is a
gas or liquid.

Since, one end is open we can work entirely in gage pressure:

Moving from left to right: pA + h - 2h2 = 0
1 1

Then the equation for the pressure in the container is the following:

If the fluid in the container is a gas, then the fluid 1 terms can be ignored:
 U-Tube Manometer

Measuring a Pressure Differential

Closed End
pB Container
Final notes:
1)Common gage fluids are Hg and
Closed End Water, some oils, and must be
Container immiscible.
pA 2)Temp. must be considered in very
accurate measurements, as the gage
fluid properties can change.
3) Capillarity can play a role, but in
many cases each meniscus will cancel.

Moving from left to right: pA + 1h1 - 2h2 - 3h3 = pB

Then the equation for the pressure difference in the container is the following:
 Inclined-Tube Manometer
This type of manometer is used to measure small pressure changes.

pB
pA
h2

l2 h2

sin =
h2
h2 = l2 sin
l2
Moving from left to right: pA + 1h1 - 2h2 - 3h3 = pB
Substituting for h2:
Rearranging to Obtain the Difference:
If the pressure difference is between gases:

Thus, for the length of the tube we can measure a greater pressure differential.
 Other Pressure Measurement Devices

Mechanical and electronic pressure measuring devices

(a) Liquid-filled Bourdon pressure gages for various pressure ranges.

(b) (b) Internal elements of Bourdon gages. The C-shaped Bourdon tube
is shown on the left, and the coiled spring Bourdon tube for high
pressures of 1000 psi and above is shown on the right.
 Bourdon Pressure Gage

Bourdon tube pressure gage uses a hollow, elastic, and

curved tube to measure pressure.
As the pressure within the tube increases the tube tends
to straighten, and although the deformation is small, it
can be translated into the motion of a pointer on dial.