UNIVERSITI TEKNIKAL MALAYSIA MELAKA

FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN MEKANIKAL

BMCG 2613 MEKANIK BENDALIR I
TUTORIAL 4

HYDROSTATIC FORCES
1. Find the total pressure force exerted on one side of the plate and the position of centre of pressure
with respect to the plate centroid, if the plate is (a) square 1.8 m x 1.8 m. (b) circular with diameter
1.8 m. For each case, the plate is vertically submerged in the water and its centroid lies at a depth of
1.2 m from the free surface of water.
[ Ans: (a) 38.1 kN, 1.425 m (b) 29.9 kN , 1.368 m ]

0.1 m

2. An inverted 0.1 m diameter circular cylinder

is partially filled with water and held in place as
shown in Figure 1. A force of 20 N is needed to
pull the flat plate from the cylinder. Determine
the air pressure within the cylinder. The plate is
not fastened to the cylinder and has negligible
mass.
[Ans: 4.51 kPa]

Air
Plate

Water

0.2 m

20 N
Figure 1

3m
Water

Plug

2m
Figure 2

3. A large, open tank contains water and

is connected to a 2 m diameter conduit as
shown in Figure 2. A circular plug is used to
seal the conduit. Determine the magnitude,
direction, and location of the force of the
water on the plug.
(Given IGG for circle = R4/4)
[Ans: 123.276 kN, 4.063 m below free
surface]

4. A room in the lower level of a cruise ship has a 30-cm-diameter circular window. If the midpoint of
the window is 5 m below the water surface, determine the hydrostatic force acting on the window, and
the pressure centre. Take the specific gravity of seawater to be 1.025. [3554 N; 5.001 m]
5. The two sides of a V-shaped water trough are hinged
to each other at the bottom where they meet, as shown in
Figure 3, making an angle of 45 with the ground from
both sides. Each side is 0.75 m wide, and the two parts are
held together by a cable and turnbuckle placed every 6 m
along the length of the trough. Calculate the tension in each
cable when the trough is filled to the rim. [5510 N]

Figure 3

6.
Find the total pressure
force and the depth of the
centre of pressure as shown in
Figure 4.
[ Ans: 103 kN, 2.267 m]

1.5 m

H2O = 1000kg/m3

3.0 m

3.0 m

2.0 m
1.8 m

Figure 4

Water surface

3m

7. A cylindrical roller gate 3 m in diameter

is placed on the dam in such a way that water
is just going to spill (Figure 5). If the length

of the gate is 6 m, calculate the

magnitude and direction of the resultant
force due to water acting on it.
[ Ans: 336.73 kN, 38.13]

A
Figure 5

2m

8. In Figure 6, surface AB is a circular arc with a

radius of 2 m and depth of 1 m into the
paper. The distance EB is 4 m. The fluid above
surface AB is water. Find the magnitude and
direction of the hydrostatic force acting on the
surface AB.
[ Ans : 146.9 kN, 48 ]

E
4m

A
Figure 6
9. A dam is 8 m depth into the paper,
retaining 6 m of water as shown in
Figure 7. Determine the magnitude and
direction of the hydrostatic force acting
on the wall of the dam.
[Test 1-DMCF 2213-sem2sesi0304]

6m

Figure 7