Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba

CIVIL ENGINEERING
Hydraulics Engineering

Lesson 4
Relative Equilibrium of
Liquids
Lecture slides by
Engr. Patrick Louie Jay R. Federizo, CE
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, you must be able to:

1. Understand the relative equilibrium of liquid

2. Apply the basic principle of hydrostatic in dealing
with relative equilibrium of liquid
3. Determine how pressure varies within the liquid
with horizontal, vertical and rotational motions.
4. Evaluate problems dealing with relative equilibrium
of liquids.
*Relative Equilibrium of Liquids:
Relative equilibrium of liquid is a condition
where the whole mass of liquid including the vessel in
which the liquid is contained, is moving at uniform
accelerated motion with respect to the earth, but
every particle of liquid have no relative motion
between each other. There are two cases of relative
equilibrium that will be discussed in this section: linear
translation and rotation. Note that if a mass of liquid is
moving with constant speed, the conditions are the
same as static liquid in the previous lecture.
*Rectilinear Translation: (Moving Vessel)
1. Horizontal Motion:
If a mass of fluid moves horizontally along a straight line at
constant acceleration a, the liquid surface assume an angle θ with
the horizontal, see figure below.
*Rectilinear Translation: (Moving Vessel)
1. Horizontal Motion:
For any value of a, the angle θ can be found by considering a fluid
particle of mass m on the surface. The forces acting on the particle are the
weight W = mg, inertia force or reverse effective force REF = ma, and the
normal force N which is the perpendicular reaction at the surface. These
three forces are in equilibrium with their force polygon shown to the right.
*Rectilinear Translation: (Moving Vessel)
2. Inclined Motion:
Consider a mass of fluid being accelerated up an
incline α from horizontal. The horizontal and vertical components of
inertia force REF would be respectively, x = mah and y = mav.
*Rectilinear Translation: (Moving Vessel)
2. Inclined Motion:
*Rectilinear Translation: (Moving Vessel)
3. Vertical Motion:
The figure shown to the right is a mass of liquid moving vertically upward
with a constant acceleration a. The forces acting to a liquid column of depth h from
the surface are weight of the liquid W = γV, the inertia force REF = ma, and the
pressure F = pA at the bottom of the column.
*Rotation: (Rotating Vessel)
When at rest, the surface of mass of
liquid is horizontal at PQ as shown
in the figure. When this mass of
liquid is rotated about a vertical axis
at constant angular
velocity ω radian per second, it will
assume the surface ABC which is
parabolic. Every particle is
subjected to centripetal force or
centrifugal force CF = mω2x which
produces centripetal acceleration
towards the center of rotation. Other
forces that acts are gravity force W
= mg and normal force N.
Sample Problem #1:
An open rectangular tank mounted on a truck is 5m long, 2m
wide and 2.5m high is filled with water to a depth of 2m.
a. What maximum horizontal acceleration can be imposed on
the tank without spilling any water?
b. Determine the accelerating force on the liquid mass.
c. If the acceleration is increased to 6m/s^2, how much water
is spilled out?
c. If the acceleration is increased to 6m/s^2, how much water is spilled out?
Sample Problem #2:
A closed horizontal cylinder tank 1.5m in diameter and 4m
long is completely filled with gasoline (sg =0.82) and accelerated
horizontally at 3m/s^2. Find the total force acting at the rear wall and
at the front wall of the tank. Find also the accelerating force on the
fluid mass.
Sample Problem #3:
An open cylindrical vessel having a height equal to its
diameter is half-filled with water and revolved about its own vertical
axis with a constant angular speed of 120rpm. Find its minimum
diameter so that there can be no liquid spilled.
Sample Problem #4:
An open cylindrical tank, 2m in diameter and 4m high contains
water to a depth of 3m. It is rotated about its own vertical axis with a
constant angular speed 𝜔.
a. If 𝜔 = 3𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠𝑒𝑐, is there any liquid spilled?
b. What maximum value of 𝜔 (in rpm) can be imposed without
spilling any liquid?
c. If 𝜔 = 8𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠𝑒𝑐, how much water is spilled out and to what
depth will the water stand when brought to rest?
d. What angular speed 𝜔 (in rpm) will just zero the depth of
water at the center of the tank?
e. If 𝜔 = 100𝑟𝑝𝑚, how much area at the bottom of the tank is
uncovered?
 An open cylindrical tank, 2m in diameter and 4m high contains water to a depth of 3m. It is rotated
about its own vertical axis with a constant angular speed 𝜔.
a. If 𝜔 = 3𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠𝑒𝑐, is there any liquid spilled?
 An open cylindrical tank, 2m in diameter and 4m high contains water to a depth of 3m. It is rotated
about its own vertical axis with a constant angular speed 𝜔.
b. What maximum value of 𝜔 (in rpm) can be imposed without spilling any liquid?
 An open cylindrical tank, 2m in diameter and 4m high contains water to a depth of 3m. It is rotated
about its own vertical axis with a constant angular speed 𝜔.
c. If 𝜔 = 8𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠𝑒𝑐, how much water is spilled out and to what depth will the water stand when
brought to rest?
 An open cylindrical tank, 2m in diameter and 4m high contains water to a depth of 3m. It is rotated
about its own vertical axis with a constant angular speed 𝜔.
d. What angular speed 𝜔 (in rpm) will just zero the depth of water at the center of the tank?
e. If 𝜔 = 100𝑟𝑝𝑚, how much area at the bottom of the tank is uncovered?
Sample Problem #5:
A closed cylinder vessel, 2m in diameter and 4m high is filled
with water to a depth of 3m and rotated about its own vertical axis at a
constant angular speed, 𝜔. The air inside the vessel is under a
pressure of 120KPa.
a. If 𝜔 = 12𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠𝑒𝑐, what is the pressure at the center and
circumference at the bottom of the tank?
b. What angular speed 𝜔 will just zero the depth of water at
the center?
c. If 𝜔 = 20𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠𝑒𝑐 , how much area at the bottom is
uncovered?
 A closed cylinder vessel, 2m in diameter and 4m high is filled with water to a depth of 3m and rotated about its own
vertical axis at a constant angular speed, 𝜔. The air inside the vessel is under a pressure of 120KPa.
a. If 𝜔 = 12𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠𝑒𝑐, what is the pressure at the center and circumference at the bottom of the tank?
 A closed cylinder vessel, 2m in diameter and 4m high is filled with water to a depth of 3m and rotated about its own
vertical axis at a constant angular speed, 𝜔. The air inside the vessel is under a pressure of 120KPa.
b. What angular speed 𝜔 will just zero the depth of water at the center?
 A closed cylinder vessel, 2m in diameter and 4m high is filled with water to a depth of 3m and rotated about its own
vertical axis at a constant angular speed, 𝜔. The air inside the vessel is under a pressure of 120KPa.
c. If 𝜔 = 20𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠𝑒𝑐, how much area at the bottom is uncovered?
Sample Problem #6:
A glass U-tube whose vertical stems are 300mm apart is filled
with mercury to a depth of 150mm in the vertical stems. It is rotated
about a vertical axis through the midpoint of the horizontal section.
What angular speed 𝜔 will produce a pressure of absolute zero in the
mercury at the axis?