Pressure

Table of contents
01 02
Concept of
Objectives
Pressure

03 04
Types of Pressure Sample Problems
 Objectives
● Define and explain the concept of Pressure.

● Identify the different kinds of pressure and its

applications.

● Discuss the principle of manometry.

● Solve worded problems involving pressure.

Pressure
Pressure is defined as the amount of force exerted
on a given area.
This is the force per unit area exerted by a fluid on a body or
surface, with the force acting at right angles to the surface
uniformly in all directions.
Furthermore, the cause of this pressure is due to acceleration, gravity,
or by forces that are outside the closed container.
P1

Types of Pressures in Fluid Mechanics:

• Static Pressure – pressure of fluid which behaves as a P2
potential and it is the same in all directions
• Dynamic Pressure – pressure of a liquid that is moving.
Types of Pressure
Atmospheric Pressure – It is the force exerted on a surface by the air above it
as gravity pulls it to Earth. This type of pressure is commonly measured by
barometer.

Under normal conditions at sea level:

𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑚 = 1 atm
= 101.325 kPa (101,325 Pa)
= 14.7 psi
= 760 mm Hg
= 760 torr
= 1.01325 bar
Types of Pressure
Gage Pressure – Pressures above or below the atmosphere and can be
measured by pressure gauges or manometers. Gage pressure uses the
atmospheric pressure as its zero point.

Absolute Pressure – Pressure above absolute zero. Measurement of this kind of pressure is
always definite.
𝑷𝒂𝒃𝒔 = 𝑷𝒈𝒂𝒈𝒆 + 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒎

Vacuum Pressure – A pressure that is less than the local atmospheric pressure. A vacuum is a
space that has all matter removed from it.
Diagram of the Types of Pressure
Variations in Pressure
𝐹 1
Total Mass of the fluid, m 𝑃= = 𝐴ℎ𝑡 𝝆𝑔 ( )
𝐴 𝐴
m = volume x density
= 𝐴ℎ𝑡 𝝆 𝑷 = 𝝆𝒈𝒉𝒕
Newton’s Law: * This is the pressure at the bottom
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑔 due to the mass of the fluid above it.
Get the force by multiplying * To get the total pressure at the
the mass by the acceleration bottom, the Pressure 𝑃𝑂 must be
due to gravity. added.
ℎ𝑡
𝐹 = 𝐴ℎ𝑡 𝝆𝑔
𝑷𝟐 = 𝝆𝒈𝒉𝒕 + 𝑷𝒐
To get the Pressure:
* To get the pressure at a certain h,
𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆, 𝑭
𝑷= P= 𝝆𝒈𝒉 + 𝑷𝒐
𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒂, 𝑨
 Pressure Head
What is Pressure Head?

• A common method of expressing pressures is in terms of head in meters or feet of a particular

fluid. The height or head in meters or feet of a given fluid will exert the same pressure as the
pressure it represent.

• Pressure head in fluid mechanics is the pressure exerted by a liquid column on the base of the
container. It is represented as the height of the liquid column.

To get the Pressure: To get the Pressure Head: Pressure head is the height
𝑷 𝝆𝒈𝒉 𝑷 𝛾𝒉 “h” of a column of
𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆, 𝑭 = = homogenous liquid of
𝑷= 𝝆𝒈 𝝆𝒈 𝛾 𝛾
𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒂, 𝑨 specific weight “𝛾” that will
𝑃 𝑃 produce an intensity of
h= h=
𝑷 = 𝝆𝒈𝒉 𝝆𝑔 𝛾 pressure P.
but 𝛾 = 𝝆𝑔
𝑷 = 𝛾𝒉
Sample Problems
1. If the pressure in a tank is 50 psi, find the equivalent pressure head of:
a) water
b) mercury
c) oil with specific gravity of 0.92

2. A gage on the suction side of a pump shown vacuum of 254 mm of mercury. Compute:
a) Pressure head in meters of water
b) Pressure in kilopascal
c) Absolute pressure in Kilopascal if a barometer reads 736.6 mm of mercury

3. A weather report indicates the barometric pressure is 29.75 inches of mercury. What
is the atmospheric pressure in pounds per square inch?

4. Calculate the pressure in Psia and KN/m2 of the bottom of the spherical tank filled
with oil. The top of the tank is vented to the atmosphere having a pressure of 14.72 psia.
The density of the oil is 0.922 g/cm3 and the diameter of the tank is 8 feet.
 Sample Problems
5. A pressure gage 6m above the bottom of the tank containing a liquid reads 90 kPa. Another
gage height 4m reads 103 kPa. Determine the following:
a) the specific weight of the liquid
b) the specific gravity of the liquid

6. The weight density of the mud is given by 𝛾=10 + 0.5h where 𝛾 is in KN/m3 and h is in meters.
Determine the pressure, in kPa, at a depth of 5 meters.

7. A diver is currently located at a depth of 50 meters in the ocean.

The density of the sea water is 1025 kg/m3.Determine:
a) the gage pressure at a depth of 50 meters
b) the absolute pressure at a depth of 50 meters

8. Refer to the figure. The container is open to the atmosphere

and the density of the oil is 750 kg/m3. Determine:
a) the gage and absolute pressure at the oil and water interface
b) gage and absolute pressure at the bottom of the container
Sample Problems
9. A cylindrical container contains 5.8 meters of water covered with 3.2 meters of kerosene
(𝛾= 8 KN/m3). Find the pressure at the interface of the kerosene and water and at the
bottom of the tank.

10. In the figure below, if the atmospheric pressure is 101.03 kPa and the absolute pressure
at the bottom of the tank is 231.3 kPa, what is the specific gravity of the olive oil?
Pascal’s Principle
“a change in the pressure applied to a fluid is transmitted undiminished to every
point in the fluid and to the walls of the container.”
• In the absence of gravity, the pressure is the same everywhere in the vessel.
• Remember that the pressure is a scalar and the force is always perpendicular
to the cross-sectional area.

One application of the Pascal’s Principle is the Hydraulic Press.

Pascal’s Principle states that

the pressure on the left side
must be equal to the pressure
at the right side.
Pascal’s Principle
• A force of magnitude F1 is applied to a small piston of area A1.

• The pressure is transmitted through an incompressible liquid to a larger piston of area A2.

• Because of the increase in pressure is the same on the two sides, a small force F1
produces a much greater force F2.

• The volume also are equal. Supposed pushing it at a distance d1 at the left side, then
the amount of fluid displaced is the volume hat will end up at the right side.

• In other words, the same amount of fluid leaves at the left side and enters at the right side.
𝐴1 𝑑1 = 𝐴2 𝑑2

• The work that is done at the left side is also equal to the work done at the right side.
𝐹1 𝑑1 = 𝐹2 𝑑2
Application of Pascal’s Principle
Sample Problems:

1. A car weighs 10 KN is placed on the 1 meter radius piston of a hydraulic press. How
much force should be exerted in the 5 cm radius piston to lift the car?

2. In a car lift used in a service station, compressed air exerts a force on a small piston
that has a radius of 5 cm. This pressure is transmitted by a liquid to a piston that
has a radius of 15 cm. What force must the compressed air exert to lift a car
weighing 13,300 N? What air pressure produces this force?
 Pressure Measurement
Barometer
- a device that measures the atmospheric pressure.
- atmospheric pressure is also called as barometric pressure

𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑚 = 𝝆𝑔ℎ

Manometer
- a tube, usually bent in a form of a U, containing liquid of known specific gravity, the
surface of which moves proportionally to changes of pressure.

Types of Manometer:
1. Open Type Manometer
2. Differential Type Manometer
3. Piezometer
Types of Manometer
1. Open Type Manometer
- this type of manometer has an atmospheric surface in one leg and is capable of
measuring gage pressures

2. Differential Type Manometer

- a manometer without an atmospheric surface and capable of measuring only
differences in pressure

3. Piezometer
- the simplest form of open manometer. It is a tube tapped into a wall of container
or conduit for the purpose of measuring pressure.
Types of Manometer

Open Type Manometer Differential Type Manometer Piezometer

Sample Problems
1. Determine the atmospheric pressure at a location where the barometric reading is 740 mm hg
and the gravitational acceleration is g = 9.805 m/s2. Assume the temperature of mercury to be 10
°C, at which its density is 13,570 kg/m3.v

2. Determine the pressure at A in Psi gage due to the

deflection of the mercury (sp.gr = 13.57) in the U-Tube gage
shown.
Sample Problems
3. A differential manometer is connected at two points A and
B of two pipes as shown in the figure 8.5. The pipe A
contains a liquid of specific gravity 1.5 while pipe B contains
a liquid of specific gravity 0.9. Find the pressure difference
between A and B.

Figure 8.5

4. Water at 10°C is the fluid in the pipe and mercury is the

manometer fluid. If the deflection Δh is 60 cm and the
distance between points 3 and 4 is 180 cm, what is the gage
pressure at the center of the pipe? Sq.gr of mercury is 15.7.
Refer to figure 8.6.

Figure 8.6
Sample Problems
5. What is the pressure of the air if I1= 40 cm, I2 = 100 cm
and I3 = 80 cm? 𝛾hg = 133 KN/m3. Refer to figure 8.7.

Figure 8.7
6. For the differential manometer shown as shown in the
figure 8.8, calculate the pressure difference between points
A and B.

Figure 8.8
Sample Problems
7. The air pressure in a circular duct is to be measured using
a manometer whose open arm is inclined 25°C from the
horizontal as shown in the figure 8.9. The density of the
liquid in the manometer is 0.81 kg/L, and the vertical
distance between the fluid levels in the two arms of the
manometer is 8 cm. Determine the gage pressure of the air
in the duct and the length of the fluid column in the inclined Figure 8.9
arm above the fluid level in the vertical arm.

8. The pressure of water flowing through the pipe is

measured by the arrangement shown in the figure 9.0. For
the values given, calculate the pressure in the pipe.

Figure 9.0