CE 223: Engineering Hydromechanics

CHAPTER 6
Hydrostatic Pressure
and Buoyancy

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Hydrostatic Pressure and Buoyancy

A branch of fluid which deals with fluid at rest is known

as fluid statics or hydrostatic. When fluid is at rest, there is no
relative motion between adjacent fluid layers. The velocity
gradient is zero and so there is no shear stress in the fluid. The
only forces present are;
 Force due to pressure of fluid which acts normal to the
surface
 Self weight of the fluid (gravity force) acting vertically
downward.

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Hydrostatic Pressure
Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure at a point exerted by the
fluid at rest. It is used in the determination of total stress acting
on dam and determination of stability of submerged or floating
bodies in water at rest.
Fluid Pressure
A fluid kept in a vessel exerts force at all points on the
sides and the bottom of the vessel. The force per unit area is
called pressure.

Consider a small area dA of a fluid kept in a vessel. As

the fluid is stationary, only the normal force (dF) acts on the
area dA. 3
Fluid Pressure Cont’d
Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure at a point exerted by the
fluid at rest. It is used in the determination of total stress acting
on dam and determination of stability of submerged or floating
bodies in water at rest.
Therefore,
Pressure or pressure intensity,
𝑑𝐹
P=
𝑑𝐴

If the force (F) is uniformly distributed over the area (A),

Then,
𝐹
P= 4
𝐴
Pressure Head
For an incompressible fluid, the pressure intensity ‘p’ at
any point in the fluid is given by;
P = wh
𝑃
or h=
𝑤

where h is the height of fluid column which causes the pressure

and w is the specific weight of fluid, this height of fluid ‘h’ is
called pressure head at the point.
Thus,
Pressure head ‘h’ is defined as the height of a column of liquid
of specific eight ‘w’ required to give a pressure difference of p.
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Example 1:
A piston of area 14 x 10-3 m2 exerts a force of 500 N. find the intensity
of pressure on the fluid in contact with the piston at the underside.
Soln,
Given, A = 14 x 10-3 m2 and F = 500 N
Therefore, intensity of pressure,
𝐹 500
P= = = 35.71 x 103 N/m2
𝐴 14 x 10−3

Example 2:

A cylindrical tank of 5 m diameter x 10 m height is completely filled

with water. Find the intensity of pressure and the total force at the
bottom of the tank if the density of the fluid is 1000 kg/m3. 6
 Soln,
Pressure intensity at the bottom,
P = wh = gh = 1000 x 9.81 x 10 = 98100 N/m2
Total pressure force at the bottom,
F = pA
𝜋
= 98100 x x 52 = 1925212 N
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Example 3:
A cylindrical tank of 3 m height and 5 cm2 cross-sectional area is
filled with water up to a height of 2 m and remaining with oil of
specific gravity 0.8. Find the pressure intensity at the interface of
the two liquids and also at the bottom of the tank.
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Soln,
Given,
h1 = height of water = 2 m, h2 = height of oil = 1 m,
So = sp. gravity of oil = 0.8
Pressure intensity at any point; p = gh
Pressure intensity at the interface = Pinterface = ogh2
But o = So x w = 0.8 x 1000 = 800 kg/m3
Pinterface = ogh2 = 800 x 9.81 x 1 = 7848 N/m2
Pressure intensity at the bottom = Pbottom = wgh1 + ogh2
= 1000 x 9.81 x 2 + 800 x 9.81 x 1
= 19620 + 7848 = 27468 N/m2 8
 Pressure Measurement
Atmospheric pressure (Pat): is a pressure exerted by the envelop of air
surrounding the earth’s surface. It is usually determined by a mercury
column barometer where mercury vapour pressure Pvp exists at the top of
mercury column in the tube. Vapour pressure of a liquid is the pressure of a
vapour above its liquid (or solid) in equilibrium. When a gas is collected
above a liquid, (usually water), some of the water evaporates and contributes
to the pressure above the liquid. This can clearly be seen in figures below.

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 Pressure Measurement
From hydrostatic equation,
Pat - Pvp = wh
Mercury has a low vapour pressure (= 0.17 N/m2 at 20oC) and
thus for all intents and purposes it can be neglected in comparison with
Pat which is about 105 N/m2 at mean sea level. Then,
Pat = wh
Absolute pressure (Pabs): pressure has been defined as the force per
unit area due to interaction of fluid particles amongst themselves. A zero
positive intensity will occur when molecular momentum is zero. Such a
situation can occur only when there is a perfect vacuum, i.e., vanishingly
small population of gas molecules or of molecular velocity. Pressure
intensity measured from this state of vacuum or zero pressure is called
absolute pressure. 10
 Pressure Measurement

Guage pressure (Pg): instruments and gauges used to measure

fluid pressure generally measures the difference between the
unknown pressure P and the existing atmospheric pressure Pat.
When the unknown pressure is more than atmospheric pressure,
the pressure recorded by the instrument is called guage pressure.
A pressure reading below the atmosphere pressure is known as
vacuum, rarefaction or negative pressure. Actual absolute pressure
is then the algebraic sum of the guage indication and the
atmospheric pressure
Pabs = Pat + Pg
Pabs = Pat - Pvac 11
 Example 4:
A diver is working at a depth of 20 m below the surface of sea water
with specific weight of 10 kN/m3, find the pressure intensity at this
depth. What would be the absolute pressure if barometer reads 760 mm
of mercury column at sea level?
Soln,
From hydrostatic equation, p = wh
Pressure intensity at the given depth Pg = 10000 x 20 = 200000 N/m2
= 200 kPa
Atmospheric pressure Pat = 13.6 x 1000 x 9.81 x 0.76 = 101396 N/m2
= 101.4 kPa
Absolute pressure Pabs = Pat + Pg = (101.4 + 200) = 301.4 kPa 12
 Example 5:
The inlet to pump is 10 m above the bottom of sump from which it
draws water through a suction pipe. If the pressure at the pump inlet is
not to fall below 30 kN/m2 absolute, workout the minimum depth of
water in the tank. Take atmospheric pressure as 100 kN/m2.
Soln,
Applying hydrostatic equation,
Let Pvac be the vacuum (suction)
p = wh
pressure at the pump inlet. Then,
7000 = 1000 x 9.81 x h
from Pabs = Pat - Pvac , , Pvac
h = 7.136 m
becomes ,
Therefore, minimum depth of
Pvac = Pat - Pabs
water in the sump = (10 – 7.136)
= (100 – 30) = 70 kN/m2
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= 7000 N/m2 = 2.864 m.
 Static (Ps) and total pressure (Pt):
Static pressure (Ps): is defined as the force per unit area acting on the wall
by a fluid at rest or flowing parallel to the wall in a pipe line.
Total or stagnation pressure (Pt): is defined as the pressure that would be
obtained when a flowing fluid is brought to rest isentropically. It is usually
measured with a pitot tube.
The difference between the total and static pressure gives the
pressure due to fluid velocity and is referred to as dynamic pressure. The
dynamic pressure is due to flow speed and is also known as the velocity or
impact pressure. For an incompressible fluid or for a gas flowing at low
velocities, the dynamic pressure equals V2/2g where V is the velocity of
fluid flow.
Velocity pressure = total pressure – static pressure
𝑉2
= (Pt – Ps) 14
2𝑔
 Buoyancy
The tendency for an immersed body to be lifted up in the fluid due to
an upward force opposite to action of gravity and the force tending to lift up
the body under such condition is known as the buoyant force. The point of
application of the force of buoyancy on the body is known as centre of
buoyancy. Figures below shows some piece of wood placed on a body of
water and indicating the level of water displaced.
When the pontoon is floating in an unloaded condition, upthrust on
immersed volume = weight of pontoon. But since the upthrust is equal to the
weight of the fluid displaced,
Weight of pontoon = weight of fluid displaced = W = ρgBlD
Where,
ρ = density of the fluid, g = acceleration due to gravity, B = width of the
pontoon, l= length of the pontoon and D = drought. 15
Buoyancy

Fig: Piece of material floating on water 16

 Example 6:
A rectangular pontoon has a width B of 3.6 m, a length l of 10 m and a
drought D of 1.8 m in fresh water (density 1000 kg/m3). Calculate;
i. The weight of the pontoon,
ii. Drought of the pontoon in sea water (density of 1025 kg/m3)
iii. Load that can be supported by the pontoon in fresh water if the
maximum drought permissible is 2.5 m.
Soln.

W = ρgBlD

i. In fresh water, ρ = 1000 kg/m3 , D = 1.5 m,

Weight of the pontoon, W = 1000 x 9.81 x 3.6 x 10 x 1.8
= 635.69 kN 17
ii. In sea water with ρ = 1025 kg/m3
𝑊
Drought of the pontoon in sea water, D =
𝜌𝑔𝐵𝑙

𝑊 635.69 x 1000
D= = = 1.76 m
𝜌𝑔𝐵𝑙 1025 x 9.81 x 3.6 x 10

iii. For the maximum drought of 2.5 m in fresh water,

Total upthrust = Weight of water displaced = ρgBlD
= 1000 x 9.81 x 3.6 x 10 x 2.5
= 882.9 kN,
Load that can be supported = Upthrust – Weight of pontoon
= 882.9 - 635.69
= 247.21 kN 18
 Example 7:
A stone weighs 400 N in air and when immersed in water it
weighs 225 N. Calculate the volume of the stone.

Soln.
Weight of the stone = 400 – 225 = 175 N
Since,
Weight of pontoon = weight of fluid displaced = specific weight
of water x volume of water displaced
175 = 1000 x 9.81 x V
V = 0.0178 m3

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