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Lecture - 2
Fluid Statics
Fluid Statics means fluid at rest.
At rest, there are no shear stresses, the only force is the normal
force due to pressure is present.
Pressure is defined as:
“Force per Unit Area” Or
“The amount of force exerted on a unit area of a substance or
on a surface.”
This can be stated by the equation:
F dF
p (For Finite Area) p (For Infinite Area)
A dA
Units : N/m2(Pa), lbs/ft2 (psf), lbs/in2 (psi)
Example
A load of 200 pounds (lb) is exerted on a piston confining
oil in a circular cylinder with an inside diameter of 2.50
inches (in). Compute the pressure in the oil at the piston.
Solution:
Principles about Pressure
Two important principles about pressure were described by
Blaise Pascal, a seventeenth-century scientist:
1. Pressure acts uniformly in all directions on a small volume
of a fluid.
2. In a fluid confined by solid boundaries, pressure acts
perpendicular to the boundary.
Direction of fluid pressure on boundaries
Pressure at a Point is same in All direction
(Pascal’s Law)
1. Consider a wedge shapedelement of fluid at rest.
2. Thickness dy (perpendicular to plane of paper).
3. Let p Avg.pressurein any direction.
4. p x and p z are avg. pressurein horizontal and vertical direction.
5. Forces in y direction need not be considered becausethey cancel.
6. No tangential force is involved,since the fluid is at rest.
7. Equilibriu m Condition : Sum of the force componentson element
in any direction must be equal to Zero.
8. Fx 0; p cos dl dy - p x dy dz 0
Since dz dl cos
Therefore;
p px
Pressure at a Point is same in All direction
1
9. Fz 0; p z dx dy - p dl dy sin dx dy dz 0
2
Neglecting 3rd term due to higher order.
Since dx dl sin
Therefore;
p pz
10. We can also proof p py by considering a three dimensional case.
Thus pressureat any point in a fluid at rest is same in all direction.
Variation of Pressure in a Static Fluid
(Hydrostatic Law)
It states:
“Rate of increase of pressure in vertical downward direction
must be equal to Specific Weight of fluid at that point.”
Variation of Pressure in a Static Fluid
(Hydrostatic Law)
1. Consider an element of static fluid.
2. Assumedensity of fluid to be constant within the element
(Since the element is very small).
3. Pressure at the center of element is p.
4. Dimensions of element are x y and z.
5. Force acting in vertical direction are :
a. Body force : the action of gravity on the mass within th e fluid.
b. Surface force : transmitted from the surrounding fluid.
6. If the forces are summed in the horizontal direction, that is x and y,
the only forces acting are the pressureforces on the vertical faces of
element.
7. To satisfy Fx 0 and Fy 0, the presssureson the oppositevertical
faces must be equal.
p p
8. Thus 0
x y
9. Summing forces in the vertical direction and putting it equal to zero.
p z p z
Fz p xy p xy xyz 0
z 2 z 2
After simplifica tion :
p
z
Since p is independent of x and y, we can write above equation as :
dp
dz
This is the general expression that relates variation of pressurein a
static fluid to vertical position.The minus sign indicates that as z gets larger
(increasing elevation), the pressuregets smaller.
To evaluate the pressureanywhere in a fluid at rest, we must intergate previous
equation between appropriate chosen limits.
dp dz
dp dz
p z
Say; z h
p h
Or
p
h (Pressure Head)
Pressure expressed in Height of Fluid
pO pa patm y pvapour
will reach its max. possible height (y).