ETB/ETE/ETM/ETA 2102: Fluid Mechanics

Chapter 2: Fluid Statistics

1. Because of a leak in a buried gasoline storage tank, water has seeped in to the depth as shown
in Figure. The specific gravity of the gasoline is 𝑆𝐺= 0.68. Determine the pressure at the
gasoline–water interface and at the bottom of the tank.

2. In 2010, the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, was completed and opened
in the United Arab Emirates. The final height of the building, which had remained a secret
until completion, is 828 m. Find (a) Estimate the ratio of the pressure at the 828 m top of the
building to the pressure at its base, assuming the air to be at a common temperature of 15 oC
(b) Compare the pressure calculated in part (a) with that obtained by assuming the air to be
incompressible with ϒ= 0.0121 kN/m3 at 101.35 kPa(abs).
3. A hydraulic press has a ram of 30 cm dia. and a plunger of 4.5 cm dia. Find the weight lifted
by the hydraulic press when the force applied at the plunger is 500 N.

4. An open tank contains water upto a depth of 2 m and above it an oil of sp. Gr. 0.9 for a depth
of 1 m. Find the pressure intensity,
i At the interface of the liquids
ii At the bottom of the tank

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5. The diameters of a small piston and a large piston of a hydraulic jack are 3 cm and 10 cm
respectively. A force of 80 N is applied on the small piston. Find,
a) The load lifted by the large piston when, the pistons are at the same level.
b) Small piston is 40 cm above the large piston.
The density of the liquid in the jack is given as 1000 kg/m3.
6. What are the guage pressure and absolute pressure at a point 3 m below the free surface of a
𝑘𝑔⁄
liquid having a density of 1.53 × 103 𝑚3 if the atmospheric pressure is equivalent to 750
𝑘𝑔
mm of mercury? The specific gravity of mercury is 13.6 and density of water 1000 ⁄𝑚3 .

7. A U-tube manometer is used to measure the pressure of water in a pipe line, which is in excess
of atmospheric pressure. The right limb of the manometer contains mercury and is open to
atmosphere. The contact between water and mercury is in the left limb.
Determine the pressure of water in the main line, if the difference in level of mercury in the
limbs of U-tube is 10 cm and the free surface of mercury is in the level with the center of the
pipe. If the pressure of water in the pipe line is reduced to 9810 𝑁⁄𝑚2 , calculate the new

difference in the level of mercury. Sketch the arrangements in both cases.

8. A single column manometer is connected to a pipe containing a liquid of sp.gr. 0.9 as shown
in the figure. Find the pressure in the pipe if the area of the reservoir is 100 times the area of
the tube for the manometer reading shown in the Figure. The specific gravity of mercury is
13.6.

9. A differential manometer is connected at the two points A and B of two pipes as shown in the
figure. The pipe A contains liquid of sp. gr. 1.5 while pipe B contains a liquid of sp. gr. 0.9.
𝑘𝑔𝑓⁄ 𝑘𝑔𝑓⁄
The pressures at A and B are 1 𝑐𝑚2 and 1.80 𝑐𝑚2 respectively. Find the difference
in mercury level in the differential manometer.

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10. An inverted differential manometer is connected to two pipes A and B which convey water as
shown in the figure. The fluid in manometer is oil of sp.gr. 0.8. For the manometer readings
shown in the figure, find the pressure difference between A and B.

11. A manometer is used to measure the pressure in a tank. The fluid used has a specific gravity
of 0.85, and the manometer column height is 55 cm, as shown in Figure. If the local
atmospheric pressure is 96 kPa, determine the absolute pressure within the tank. It is given that
the standard density of water to be 1000 kg/m3.

12. The water in a tank is pressurized by air, and the pressure is measured by a multifluid
manometer as shown in Figure. The tank is located on a mountain at an altitude of 1400 m
where the atmospheric pressure is 85.6 kPa.

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 Determine the air pressure in the tank if h1 = 0.1 m, h2= 0.2 m, and h3 =0.35 m. Take the
densities of water, oil, and mercury to be 1000 kg/m3, 850 kg/m3, and 13,600 kg/m3,
respectively.

13. Determine the atmospheric pressure at a location where the barometric reading is
740 𝑚𝑚 𝐻𝑔 and the gravitational acceleration is 𝑔 = 9.81 𝑚/𝑠 2 . Assume the temperature of
mercury to be 10°𝐶, at which its density is 13,570 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3.

14. The piston of a vertical piston–cylinder device containing a gas has a mass of 60 𝑘𝑔 and a
cross-sectional area of 0.04 𝑚2, as shown in Figure. The local atmospheric pressure is
0.97 𝑏𝑎𝑟, and the gravitational acceleration is 9.81 𝑚/𝑠 2 .
(a) Determine the pressure inside the cylinder.
(b) If some heat is transferred to the gas and its volume is doubled, do you expect the
pressure inside the cylinder to change?
15. A rectangular plane surface is 2 m wide and 3 m deep. It lies in vertical plane in water.
Determine the total pressure and position of centre of pressure on the plane surface when its
upper edge is horizontal and,
(a) Coincides with water surface.
(b) 2.5 m below the free water surface
𝐼𝐺 𝑏𝑑 3
Centre of pressure is given by the eq. ℎ∗ = 𝐴ℎ
̅
+ ℎ̅, Where, 𝐼𝐺 = 12

16. Determine the total pressure on a circular plate of diameter 1.5 m which is placed vertically in
water in such a way that the centre of the plate is 3 m below the free surface of water. Find the
position of centre of pressure.

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 𝐼 𝜋𝑑4
The equation of centre of pressure is given by, ℎ∗ = 𝐴ℎ
𝐺
̅
+ ℎ̅, Where, 𝐼𝐺 = 64

17. A tank contains water upto a height of 0.5 m above the base. An immiscible liquid of SG 0.8
is filled on the tip of water upto 1 m height. Calculate,
i Total pressure on one side of the tank
ii The position of centre of pressure for one side of the tank, which is 2 m wide.

18. A rectangular plane surface 2 m wide and 3 m deep lies in water in such a way that its make
an angle of 30o with the free surface of water. Determine the total pressure and position of
centre of pressure when the upper edge is 1.5 m below the free water surface.

The eq. for the centre of pressure is given by,

19. A heavy car plunges into a lake during an accident and lands at the bottom of the lake on its
wheels (see Fig.). The door is 1.2 𝑚 high and 1 𝑚 wide, and the top edge of the door is s = 8
𝑚 below the free surface of the water. Determine the hydrostatic force on the door and the
location of the pressure center, and discuss if the driver can open the door.

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20. Compute the horizontal and vertical components of the total force acting on a curved surface
AB, which is in the form of a quadrant of a cycle of radius 2 m as shown in the figure. Take
the width of the gate as unity.
The eq. for the centre of pressure is given by,

21. A long solid cylinder of radius 0.8 𝑚 hinged at point A is used as an automatic gate, as shown
in Fig. When the water level reaches 5 𝑚, the gate opens by turning about the hinge at point
A. Determine,
a. The hydrostatic force acting on the cylinder and its line of action when the gate
opens
b. The weight of the cylinder per m length of the cylinder.

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22. A rectangular tank is moving horizontally in the direction of its length with a constant
acceleration of 2.4 m/s2. The length, width and depth of the tank are 6 m, 2.5 m and 2 m
respectively. if the depth of water in the tank is 1 m and tank is open at the top, then calculate;
i The angle of the water surface to the horizontal
ii The maximum and minimum pressure intensities at the bottom
iii The total force due to water acting on each end of the tank

23. Find the volume of the water displaced and position of centre of buoyancy for a wooden block
of width 2.5 m and of depth 1.5 m, when it floats horizontally in water. The density of wooden
block is kg/m3 and its length 6.0 m.

24. Find the density of a metallic body which floats at the interface of mercury of SG 13.6 and
water such that 40% its volume is sub-merged in mercury and 60% in water.

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Chapter 02: Fluid Statistics (Answers)
1.
Since the liquid is at rest, the pressure distribution will be hydrostatic,
𝑝 = 𝛾ℎ + 𝑝𝑜
Where, 𝑝𝑜 is the pressure at the free surface of the gasoline. Then the pressure at the interface is,
𝑝1 = 𝑆𝐺 𝛾𝐻2 𝑂 ℎ + 𝑝𝑜 = 0.68 × 9.807 𝑘𝑁⁄𝑚3 × 5.18 𝑚 + 𝑝𝑜 = 34.54 𝑘𝑁⁄𝑚2 + 𝑝𝑜

If measure gauge pressure,

𝒑𝟏 = 𝟑𝟒. 𝟓𝟒 𝒌𝑵⁄ 𝟐 (Ans.)
𝒎

𝑝2 = 𝛾𝐻2 𝑂 ℎ𝐻2 𝑂 + 𝑝1 = 9.807 𝑘𝑁⁄𝑚3 × 0.91 𝑚 + 34.54 𝑘𝑁⁄𝑚2

𝒑𝟐 = 𝟒𝟑. 𝟒𝟔 𝒌𝑵⁄𝒎𝟐 (Ans.)

2.
(a) For the assumed isothermal conditions, and treating air as a compressible fluid,
𝑝2 𝑔(𝑧2 − 𝑧1 ) 9.81 × 828
= exp [ ] = exp [ ]
𝑝1 𝑅𝑇0 286.9 × 288.15

𝒑𝟐
= 𝟏. 𝟏 (𝐀𝐧𝐬. )
𝒑𝟏

(b) If the air is treated as incompressible fluid,

𝑝2 = 𝑝1 − 𝛾(𝑧2 − 𝑧1 )
𝑝2 0.0121 × 828
=1−
𝑝1 101.35

𝒑𝟐
= 𝟎. 𝟗𝟎𝟐 (𝐀𝐧𝐬. )
𝒑𝟏

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3.

4.
Pressure at any point is given by,

5.

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6.

7.

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8. Ans. 5.21 N/m2 11. 100.6 kPa
9. Ans. 18.1 cm 12. 130 kPa
10. 1569.6 N/m2 13. 98.5 kPa

14.

15.

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16. Ans. 3.0468 m
17.

13
18.

19.

14
20.

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21. (a) 52.3 kN (Ans.) (b). 37.9 kN (Ans.)

22.

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23.

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24. 6040 kg/m3 Ans.

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