Fluid Static OR Pressure Distribution in A Fluid: Chapter-02
Fluid Static OR Pressure Distribution in A Fluid: Chapter-02
OR
PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION
IN A FLUID
Chapter-02
Hydrostatic Condition
• When fluid velocity is zero, it is denoted as hydrostatic
condition and the fluid is known as static fluid.
• Under hydrostatic conditions the fluid pressure becomes
the most important parameter.
• In static fluids the effect of pressure on solid surfaces and
on floating and submerged bodies is an important area of
study.
• Important applications of this study are;
i. Pressure distribution in the atmosphere and the oceans.
ii. The design of manometer pressure instruments.
iii. Forces on submerged flat and curved surfaces.
iv. Buoyancy on a submerged body.
v. The behavior of floating bodies.
FLUID MECHANICS-I DR. AJMAL SHAH, DME PIEAS 2
Hydrostatic Condition
• Since the fluids is at rest, there will be no shearing
stresses.
• The only forces that develop on the surface of particles
will be due to pressure.
• Pressure distribution is due to weight of the fluid.
• Pressure is defined as the amount of surface force
exerted by a fluid on any boundary it is in contact with.
It can be written as:
Force
Pressure
Area on which the force is applied
F
P
A
Fluid surfaces
Pressure acting
uniformly in all
directions
Furnace duct
Pipe or tube
Piston-cylinder
No Shearing Stresses
Px ρgdxdydz
Px+x
Pz
FLUID MECHANICS-I DR. AJMAL SHAH, DME PIEAS 11
Other Forces on a Fluid Element
• The resultant force of these three forces (pressure,
gravity, and viscous stress) must either keep the
element in equilibrium or cause it to move with
acceleration a.
• From Newton’s law, we have
Pz+z
• If the fluid is at rest or at constant
velocity, then a = 0 and ∇2V = 0.
The pressure distribution then P x
ρgdxdydz
Px+x
reduces to;
𝛁 𝒑 =𝝆 ⃗
𝒈
Pz
FLUID MECHANICS-I DR. AJMAL SHAH, DME PIEAS 12
Hydrostatic Pressure Distributions
• If the fluid is at rest or at constant velocity, a = 0 and ∇2V = 0. So,
𝛁 𝒑 =𝝆 ⃗
𝒈
• This is a hydrostatic pressure distribution.
• From vector analysis the vector ∇p expresses the magnitude
and direction of the maximum spatial rate of increase of the
scalar property p (the gradient of p).
• So, ∇p is perpendicular everywhere to surfaces of constant p.
• Thus a fluid in hydrostatic equilibrium will align its constant
pressure surfaces everywhere normal to the local gravity vector.
The maximum pressure increase will be in the direction of
gravity, i.e., “down.’’
• If the fluid is a liquid, its free surface will be normal to local
gravity vector, or “horizontal.’’
FLUID MECHANICS-I DR. AJMAL SHAH, DME PIEAS 13
Hydrostatic Pressure Distributions
𝛁 𝒑 =𝝆 ⃗
𝒈
𝝏𝒑 𝝏 𝒑 𝝏𝒑
𝛁 𝒑= 𝒊+ 𝒋+ 𝒌 ⃗ 𝒈 =𝒈 𝒙 𝒊+ 𝒈 𝒚 𝒋 + 𝒈 𝒛 𝒌
𝝏𝒙 𝝏 𝒚 𝝏𝒛
𝝏𝒑 𝝏𝒑 𝝏𝒑
𝒊+ 𝒋+ 𝒌=𝝆 (𝒈 ¿ ¿ 𝒙 𝒊+𝒈 𝒚 𝒋 +𝒈 𝒛 𝒌)¿
𝝏 𝒙 𝝏𝒚 𝝏 𝒛
⃗
𝒈 =− 𝝆 𝒈 𝒛 𝒌
𝝏𝒑 𝝏𝒑 𝝏𝒑
=𝝆 𝒈 𝒙 =𝟎 ; = 𝝆 𝒈 𝒚 =𝟎 ; =− 𝝆 𝒈 𝒛 =− 𝜸
𝝏𝒙 𝝏𝒚 𝝏𝒛
• For liquids
𝒑 𝟐 − 𝒑 𝟏 =− 𝜸 ( 𝒛 𝟐 − 𝒛 𝟏 )
• Points a, b, c, and d are at equal depths in water and therefore have identical
pressures.
• Points A, B, and C are also at equal depths in water and have identical pressures
higher than a, b, c, and d.
• Point D has a different pressure from A, B, and C because it is not connected to
them by a water path.
FLUID MECHANICS-I DR. AJMAL SHAH, DME PIEAS 16
Hydrostatic Pressure Distributions
Effect of Variable Gravity
• For a spherical planet of uniform density, the acceleration of
gravity, g, varies inversely as the square of the radius from
its center.
( 𝒛 𝟐−𝒛 𝟏)=𝒉= = = z2 h
𝜸 𝜸 𝒑𝜸 z1
P1
𝒉= x
𝜸
• The simplest practical application of the hydrostatic pressure is the barometer, which
measures atmospheric pressure.
• A tube is filled with mercury and inverted while submerged in a reservoir.
• This causes a near vacuum in the closed upper end because mercury has an extremely small
vapor pressure (0.16 Pa at 20°C).
• Since atmospheric pressure forces a mercury column to rise a distance h into the tube, the
upper mercury surface is at zero pressure.
FLUID MECHANICS-I DR. AJMAL SHAH, DME PIEAS 23
Hydrostatic Pressure in Gases
• Gases are compressible, with density nearly
proportional to pressure.
• Thus density must be considered as a variable.
• It is sufficiently accurate to introduce the perfect-gas
law.
• where n = g/(RB).
• Thus the error in using the linear formula is small if the
second term in parentheses is small compared with unity.
• This is true if
Piezometer
Pressure gauge
Differential monometer
𝒑 𝟐 =𝒑 𝟏 +𝜸 𝒐 𝒉𝒐
𝒑 𝟑 =𝒑 𝟐 +𝜸 𝒘 𝒉 𝒘
𝒑 𝟒=𝒑 𝟑 +𝜸 𝑮 𝒉 𝑮
𝒑 𝟓 =𝒑 𝟒 +𝜸 𝑴 𝒉 𝑴
𝒑 𝟓 =𝒑 𝟏 +𝜸 𝒐 𝒉𝒐 +𝜸 𝒘 𝒉𝒘 +𝜸 𝑮 𝒉𝑮 +𝜸 𝑴 𝒉 𝑴
FLUID MECHANICS-I DR. AJMAL SHAH, DME PIEAS 35
Application to Manometry
A Memory Device: Up Versus Down
𝒑 𝟏 =𝒑 𝑨 + 𝝆𝟏 𝒈| 𝒛 𝑨 − 𝒛 𝟏|
𝒑 𝟏 =𝒑 𝟐 + 𝝆𝟐 𝒈| 𝒛 𝟐 − 𝒛 𝟏|
𝒑 𝟐 + 𝝆 𝟐 𝒈|𝒛 𝟐 − 𝒛 𝟏|=𝒑 𝑨 + 𝝆 𝟏 𝒈|𝒛 𝑨 − 𝒛 𝟏|
𝒑 𝑨 =𝒑 𝟐 + 𝝆𝟐 𝒈| 𝒛 𝟐 − 𝒛 𝟏|− 𝝆 𝟏 𝒈 |𝒛 𝑨 − 𝒛 𝟏|
Consider xy coordinate
system in the plane of the
plate with the origin at its
centroid, plus a dummy
coordinate, ξ down from
the surface in the plane of
the plate.
𝑭 =𝒑 𝑪𝑮 𝑨=𝜸 𝒉 𝑪𝑮 𝑨