FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY II

HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE AND FORCE IN SUMMERSED SURFACES

1. THEORY
Fluid Mechanics has developed as an analytical discipline from the application of the classical laws of statics, dynamics and thermodynamics, to situations in which fluids can be treated as continuous media. The particular laws are those of the conservation mass, energy and momentum and, in each application, these laws may be simplified in an attempt to describe quantitatively the behaviour of the fluid. The fluid mechanics laboratory from the university (Universidad Libre), provides the necessary facilities to support a comprehensive range of hydraulics models each of which is designed to demonstrate a particular aspect hydraulic theory. The specific hydraulic model that we are concern with this experiment is the Hydrostatic Pressure Apparatus. It contains several masses (four of 100g, one of 50g, two of 20g, two of 10g and one of 5g.) Two situations can be tested from the Hydrostatic Pressure Apparatus: 1) Partially submerge and 2) fully submerge. Whilst the theory for partially submerged and fully submerged plane is the same, the moment for each case is different. 1.1 Partial Submersion For a partial submersion the moment can be evaluated as:

F L = () ( b h2) (k h/3)
where F is the hydrostatic force, L is the distance from the pivot point to the weights, b is the width of the rectangular surface of the quarter circle block, h is the depth of the water to the bottom of the rectangular surface. Not to the bottom of the tank and k is the distance from the pivot point to the bottom of the rectangular surface.

1.2 Fully Submersion For a fully submersion the moment can be computed with the next equation:

F L = ho b a (k a) + (a/2) + (a2/12ho)
where F is the hydrostatic force, L is the distance from the pivot point to the weights, b is the width of the rectangular surface of the quarter circle block, ho = h (a/2) and k is the distance from the pivot point to the bottom of the rectangular surface 2. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this module is to investigate hydrostatic forces on a plane surface under partial and full submersion. 3. DESCRIPTION The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 will be used. It consist of a quarter circle block attached to a cantilevered arm with a rectangular surface on the other end. The pivot point on the arm corresponds to the centre of radius of the block. With no water in the tank, and no weights on the scale, the arm is horizontal. As weight are added one by one to the scale, water can be added to the tank so that the hydrostatic force balances the weight and bring the arm back to horizontal. 4. PROCEDURE

a) b) c) d) e) f)

Use the level bubble on the base to horizontal level the entire apparatus. Begin with no water in the tank and no weights on the scale. Adjust the counterweight so that lances arm is horizontal. Add water to the tank until the arm is above the horizontal line. Weight the hook, added it to the scale and levelled it. Use a ruler to keep the same high. Hang all the masses from light to heavier (1 of 5g, 2 of 10g, 2 of 20g1 of 50g and 4 of 100g). Open the valve on the orifice and let the water flow out of the tank until the arm comes back to the horizontal, and close the valve. Measure and record the height of the water (h) in your table.

g) h)

Remove the 100g masse and open the valve until the arm reaches the horizontal line again. Record h. Continue removing the masses and recording the respective heights until all the masses and hook have been removed. Note on your table when the plane surface is no longer fully submerged. i. Remove the 100g mass one by one ii. Remove the 50g mass iii. Remove the 20g mass one by one iv. Remove the 5g mass

5. DISCUSION a) b) c) Compare and discuss actual and theoretical results (hydrostatic forces vs weights in the hook). Are they similar? If there is any discrepancy, what are the possible sources of error? Evaluate the centre of pressure (CP) from the surface (not from the bottom of the apparatus), comment on the relationship between the depth of the centre of pressure and the depth of the immersion. Did you notice some difference between the fully submerge case results and the partially submerge case, if you did state it qualitatively.

6. MISCELLANEOUS i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. Type a lab report (English or Spanish, you choose), no more than four pages + front page. Equations have not to be typed if you have difficulty. Make a graph with experimental and theoretical data (Cp vs h and FR vs Weight). Attach your calculation in an Appendix for completeness. Please specify all the variables and units. You will be grade as much for neatness and presentation as you will for correctness.

a = height of the rectangular surface of the quarter circle block (0.1m) b = width of the rectangular surface of the quarter circle block (0.07m) g = gravity (m/s2) k = distance from the pivot point to the bottom of the rectangular surface (0.2m) h = depth of the water to the bottom of the rectangular surface (m). Not to the bottom of the tank L = Distance from the pivot point to the weights (0.285 m) = specific weight of the water (N/m3) Mactual = Actual mass used to balance the hydrostatic force from experiment (kg) Mtheoretical = Theoretical mass necessary to balance the hydrostatic force from calculation