Fluid Statics:

Fluid Properties

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

What is a fluid?
Something that flows
Something that cannot be in static equilibrium when exposed to a shear stress

Types of fluids:
Liquid
Gas
Plasma
Difference between gas and liquid?

Gas

Liquid

Expands to fill container

Conforms to container
Generally considered compressible Generally considered incompressible

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Fluid Mechanics
Rocket
Hydro Dam
Sonic Boom
Water Jet Pack

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Properties of fluids
Density
Specific Weight
Specific Gravity
Surface Tension
Viscosity
Pressure
Temperature
...

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Density
Amount of mass per unit volume
m kg/m3
V

1.1

Units: kg m3

Specific Weight
Amount of weight per unit volume
w N/m3
V

1.2

Units: N m3

Relationship
Eliminating volume, V, from (1) and (2) gives:
wgm
g

1.3

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Specific Gravity
Equivalently:
Ratio of density of substance to density of water a 4C
Ratio of specific weight of substance to specific weight of water at 4C
sg

H O@4C
H O@4C
2
2

1.4

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Pressure
Force per unit area (Pascal, Pa)
p
p

F
A
F
A

N/m2
Pa

Pressure in a fluid
Acts uniformly in all directions (scalar quantity)
Force caused by fluid pressure acts perpendicular to a solid boundary (vector quantity)

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Absolute and Gage pressure

Pressure measurements in a fluid are relative to some reference pressure
Atmospheric pressure as reference: Gage Pressure
Perfect vacuum as reference: Absolute Pressure
Specified pressure as reference: Differential Pressure
pabs patm + pgage

Fig 3.1 shows comparison between absolute and gage pressures

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Units of Pressure
Pascal
1 Pa = 1 N m2
Hectopascal
1 hPa = 100 Pa
1 hPa = 1 millibar
Standard Atmosphere (Sea level at 15C)
1 atm = 101325 Pa
1 atm = 1013.25 millibar = 1013.25 hPa
Torr
760 Torr = 1 atm
Millimetre of mercury
1 mmHg = 133.322387415 Pa

10

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Relationship between Pressure and Elevation

Elevation is the vertical distance, h, from some reference point
Figure 3.2 illustrates different reference points

Change in pressure due to change in elevation:

p h g h

3.3

For low density fluids (e.g. gasses), the change in pressure due to elevation is very low compared to
other factors, and can often be assumed to be zero.
The book assumes that pressure in a gas is uniform unless otherwise specified.

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Free body diagram for fluid at rest

The figure shows forces acting on a fluid volume in static equilibrium

The pressure in the cylinder is opposed by the pressure outside the cylinder
The vertical forces acting on the cylinder are caused by pressure and gravity
F1
F2
p2
F1
w

A p1
A p2
dp + p1
w + F2
A dz g

3.4

Eliminate the forces, pressures and area from the above and solve for the change in pressure, dp
- dz g w dp w
dp - dz g

3.5

We can integrate this expression over a distance between z1 and z2

z2

-g z

z1

p - g (- z1 + z2 )

This is sometimes known as hydrostatic pressure.

3.6

11

12

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Pascals Paradox
The pressure in a liquid system is not dependent on the volume of fluid, but only the elevation
(relative to the free surface).
The pressure at each elevation of all volumes is the same. However, the forces are not the same.
Useful in, e.g. a water tower:

Pascals Paradox

http://www.howstuffworks.com/water.htm
Fig 3.4

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

13

Manometer
A manometer measures pressure. Hydrostatic manometers use the relationship between change
in pressure and change in elevation in a static liquid.
The following figure shows the U-tube manometer

Each discrete volume of fluid with the same density can be solved as a separate problem, and the
results joined together. This also applies to changes in atmospheric pressure.

14

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Manometer Equation
The deflection of a manometer is given by the static head difference around the manometer tube:

We can write the relationships between pressures:

pB g h1 + pA
pC p B
pD pC - g h2 man

4.1

Eliminating intermediate pressures:

- g h1 + pD + g h2 man pA
pA - pD - g h1 + g h2 man
pA - pD g (- h1 + h2 man )

4.2

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Manomater Tube Diameters

Equation (4.2) relates the relative displacements h1 and h2 . In industrial processes, it is advantageous to only have to read one leg of the manometer. This can be accomplished by making the
other leg with a much bigger diameter.

15

16

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Exercise: Manometer

What is the gage pressure at point A?

Answer
Equations relating pressure (note the signs!)
pB 0.25 g Hg
pA pB - 0.4 g H2 O

Eliminate pB and solve for pA

4.1

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

g (5. Hg - 8. H2 O ) 20. pA
pA 0.05 g 5. Hg - 8. H2 O

Substitute densities (Hg =13540)

{Hg 13 540, H2 O 1000, g 9.81}
pA 29 282.9

4.2

17

18

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Pressure Transmission
Pascals Principle
A change in the pressure applied to an enclosed, incompressible fluid is transmitted undiminished
to every point in the fluid.

Ballast is added to the top of the piston to pressurise the fluid inside. If more ballast is added, the
pressure increase will be the same at all points.
p0 g h + pext
p1 p + g h + pext
p1 p + p0

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Barometer
A barometer is a manometer for measuring atmospheric pressure.
The reference pressure is a near-perfect vacuum. (I.e. a barometer measures absolute pressure)

Near perfect vacuum

patm = g h = h

Bert Bolle water barometer (was largest barometer in the world, located in Denmark, Western
Australia)

19

20

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Force Transmission
A hydraulic arrangement can be used to provide mechanical advantage.
It can magnify a force.

For the piston arrangment shown above, assuming both pistons are at the same elevation:
P1 P2
Fo P2 Ao
Fi P1 Ai

5.1

Eliminate pressures and solve for output force

Ai Fo A o Fi
Fo

Ao Fi
Ai

5.2

Note, however, that the work done is not changed.

Starting from the work done
Wi d i Fi
Wo d o Fo

5.3

Substitute using (5.2)

Wi d i Fi
Wo

Ao do Fi
Ai

5.4

Now we know the same volume of fluid is displaced at both pistons.

Ao do A i di

5.5

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Making this substitution into (5.4)

Wi d i Fi
Wo d i Fi

Showing that work in and out are the same.

5.6

21

22

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

Exercise: Force of fluid

Consider the following containers

What is the force created by the fluid on the bottom of each drum?
We can use the hydrostatic pressure equation
poil g hoil oil
pwater poil + g hwater water

5.11

In terms of specific gravity

oil sg water
poil g sg hoil water
pwater poil + g hwater water

5.12

We can eliminate poil and solve for pwater

g (sg hoil + hwater ) water pwater
pwater g (sg hoil + hwater ) water

5.13

Substituting known values

{g 9.81, water 1000, sg 0.9, hoil 2.4, hwater 1.5}
pwater 35 904.6

Calculating force

5.14

1 Fluid Statics - Fluid Properties.nb

fwater A pwater
A

D2
4

fwater

, D 3

9 pwater
4

fwater 253 795.

What is the weight of the fluid in the cylindrical drum? What is the unit?
Weight is given by volume times density:
2
A D

Vwater
Voil
mwater
moil
wtotal
oil

A hwater
A hoil
Vwater water
Voil oil
g moil + g mwater
sg water

5.15

Eliminating variables not of interest and solving for total weight

D2 g (sg hoil + hwater ) water 4 wtotal
wtotal 1 D2 g (sg hoil + hwater ) water
4

Substituting known values

{D 3, g 9.81, water 1000, sg 0.9, hoil 2.4, hwater 1.5}
wtotal 253 795.

Note that the weight force is the same as the pressure force, for the cylindrical drum.
What about the tapered drum? How do you explain this?

5.16

23