ME 31000 Fluid Mechanics

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Experiment 1 Hydrostatic Force and Center of Pressure
______________________________________________________

This experiment is designed to help you understand how to locate the center of pressure and compute the
hydrostatic force acting on a submerged surface.

Objectives:

To determine experimentally the resultant hydrostatic force (total force) applied on a submerged
surface.

To determine the experimental and the theoretical center of pressure.


Reference: Hydrostatic Force on a Plane Surface (Section 2.8) Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics;
Munson et. al, 7th edition

Description of the apparatus:

The apparatus consists of a transparent rectangular water tank that supports a counter balance arm. Attached
to the counter balance arm is a toroidal quadrant. The tank has a drain at one end and a leveling screw at each
corner of its base. On the top edge of the tank are two knife-edge supports that hold the counter-balance arm.
The counter-balance arm has an adjustable weight at one end and a weight pan at the other end. The arm is
balanced by the use of a level mounted in the middle of the arm. Finally, a hook gauge mounted at one end of
tank is used to measure water level.


Figure 1.1: Hydrostatic Force Apparatus
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Experimental Procedure:


Figure 1.2: Sketch of the Apparatus
(b in the figure above refers to the dimension perpendicular to the plane of the paper)

1. Measure b and R of the quadrant you are going to mount on the counter-balancing arm. Measure
the dimension Z of the counter-balancing arm as indicated in the Figure 1.2. Mount the quadrant as
shown in the sketch.

2. Use the levels located on top of the counter-balance arm to level it along its length and perpendicular
to its length. Add masses as necessary to the adjustable counter-balance weight side of the beam to
balance it along its length; use the tank leveling screws to level it in the perpendicular direction
ensuring that the sides of the quadrant are parallel to the side walls of the tank by visual inspection.

3. Use the hose attached to the nearby faucet to add water to the tank until it reaches a height of
approximately one inch.

4. Slowly add additional water to the tank until the water surface touches the quadrant at the lowest
point of the surface S shown in Figure 1.3 below. Ensure that air bubbles trapped around the
quadrant surface is minimal. Raise the tip of the hook gauge until it just touches the water surface
and tighten the Vernier scale against the rod at zero on the gauge. Care has to be taken in determining
whether the tip of the hook gauge is touching the lower meniscus of the water level. This can be
achieved by looking through the tank glass at the water level from the bottom such that you see the
reflection of the hook gauge on the water surface. Adjust the hook gauge until the two tips (tip of the
reflection and the tip of the hook gauge) coincide on the lower meniscus of the water level. This
establishes the datum A, or zero level. Record the water level from the Vernier scale. When
reading the water levels always use the Vernier scale in order to increase the accuracy of the reading.

5. Raise the hook gauge until the Vernier scale is at approximately three inches on the gauge and secure
the rod in place. Add water until it just reaches the tip of the hook (follow step 4 for fine
adjustment of the hook). Record the actual height difference. If you add too much water, simply raise
the point of the hook gauge to the actual water surface after you complete step 6.

6. Add mass to the side nearer to the quadrant on the counter-balance arm until the level indicators
indicate that counter-balance arm is balanced again. Record this mass.

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7. Release the hook gauge and raise the rod an additional inch. Repeat the procedure outlined in steps 5
and 6 above.

8. Release the hook gauge and raise the rod an additional inch. Repeat the procedure outlined in steps 5
and 6 above.

9. Repeat steps 1 through 8 for one additional quadrant, using the same water depths. You should have
3 readings for each quadrant 2 = 6 readings.

Assumptions and Formulation:

Figure 1.3: Hydrostatic Force Acting on Surface S

Assumptions:

1- Standard atmospheric pressure acts equally on all sides
2- Incompressible fluid
3- Acceleration of gravity is constant

Formulation:

1- Total force on submerged portion of the surface S:
The basic equation of the resultant hydrostatic force is as follows:
F

= _ -pJA
A

(1.1)

Equation 1.1 provides an expression for the resultant force F

as a function of the pressure acting over the

differential area element JA = b Jb
Assume the localized acceleration of gravity is a constant 9.81 m/s
2
and that the water is incompressible with

DatumA
Side view of the quadrant End view of the quadrant
S
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constant density 996 kg/m
3
. From the basic pressure-height relation for static fluid:
Jp
Jb
= p g
(1.2)
Jp = p g b (1.3)
p -p
0
= _p g Jb
h
0
(1.4)
p = p
0
+p g b (1.5)

In equations 1.2 through 1.5 above, p is the pressure at any depth b measured positive downward from the
water free surface and b is width of the surface S. Knowing that p
0
is zero, the resultant force equation
becomes:
F

= _p g b b Jb
h
0
(1.6)
Integrating equation 1.6 yields:
F

= p g b
b
2
2

(1.7)


2- Moment M of the total force F
r
at the water surface:

Calculation of the moment of the hydrostatic force is analogous to similar calculations in solid mechanics:
H = _b F

h
0
(1.8)
H = _p g b b
2
Jb
h
0
(1.9)
H = p g b
b
3
S

(1.10)

Note that the point of application of the resultant force (the center of pressure) must be such that the moment
of the resultant force about any axis is equal to the moment of the distributed force about the same axis.


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3-Theoretical center of pressure, Y
c,theur
:

The theoretical center of pressure is given as:

c
=
H
F

(1.11)
With the above results:

c
=
2
S
b
(1.12)

4-Experimental center of pressure, Y
c,exp
:

A static equilibrium is reached once the quadrant is brought back to the datum position by adding weight to
the right side of the counter-balance arm. Once the quadrant is in equilibrium, the sum of the moments about
any point on the surface S is equal to zero.

Summing moments about the fulcrum axis:
H
]
= u = F

(
c
+ (R -b)) -w Z (1.13)
Where (R -b) is the vertical distance between the water surface and the fulcrum axis, w is the weight on
the weight pan (m g), and Z is the horizontal distance from the fulcrum axis to the weight pan.
F

(
c
+(R -b)) = w Z (1.14)

c
= _
w Z
F

] -(R -b) (1.15)

5- Percentage of error:

Peicentage of eiioi = _
(
c
)
thcoctcuI
-(
c
)
cxpcmcntuI
(
c
)
thcoctcuI
_ 1uu (1.16)
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Report requirement:


1. Compute the following:
The total force (F

) acting on the submerged portion of the surface

The moment (H) of the total force (F

) at the water surface

The theoretical center of pressure (
c,thco
)
The experimental center of pressure
c,cxp
), by summing moments about the fulcrum axis
The percentage of error between the theoretical and experimental values of
c
.

2. In the results section; discuss results, sources of error, and possible discrepancies with theoretical data.

3. Also discuss suggestions and recommendations for reducing experimental error and/or improving the
experimental method.

Answer the following question(s) in the conclusion of the report:

Are the resultant forces and moments at equivalent water depths similar?

Is this expected? Why or why not?

Why is the weight of the quadrant not measured?

Is hydrostatic force and center of pressure dependent or independent of the weight of the quadrant?



Experiment #1
Raw Data Sheet [Recreate this table in the calculations excel file for the lab report and use it for subsequent
calculations.]

Z (cm) R (cm) b (cm) h
1
(in) m
1
(g) h
2
(in) m
2
(g) h
3
(in) m
3
(g)
Quadrant
#1
(Clear/Blue)



Quadrant
#2
(Clear/Blue)