HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

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LAB 2 REPORT
FLUID MECHANICS (TR1006)
Hydrostatic Force - Center of Pressure
Instructor: Dr. Lê Đình Tuân
Group 2
Students ID
Võ Minh Cường 2352153
Nguyễn Xuân Hiếu 2352332
Nguyễn Hoàng Gia Triệu 2313569
Trần Thái Dương 2352218
Lê Trần Công Danh 2352155

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Contents
1. Purpose of the experiment:............................................................................3
2. Description of the equipment, experimental apparatus, and theoretical
basis:........................................................................................................................3
3. Experiment setup instructions:......................................................................6
4. Experimental procedure:................................................................................6
After completing the checks in section Experimental setup instructions, to
proceed with the experiment, follow these steps:..............................................................
5. Data:.................................................................................................................6
6. Remark:...........................................................................................................7

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1. Purpose of the experiment:
 To determine the location of the center of hydrostatic pressure acting on a flat surface of a
rectangular cross-section of an annular shape when fully or partially submerged in water.
 To determine the path of the centers of pressure and compare the experimental values of these
locations with those calculated using theoretical formulas

2. Description of the equipment, experimental apparatus, and theoretical basis:

2.1. Experimental apparatus:

Figure 1: Experimental instrument measuring hydro-static pressure acting on flat wall surfaces
in the laboratory experience in the Department of Ship Engineering, Faculty of Transportation
Engineering.

2.2. Theoretical Background:

The hydro-static force remains constant horizontally at a given depth but varies vertically with the
depth. This force is calculated as the product of the unit volume weight and the submerged depth. The
total hydro-static pressure acting on the cross-section of the annular shape is non-linear along the
vertical axis.
When one-quarter of the annular body is submerged, the hydro-static force on the surface can be
calculated as follows:
The hydro-static forces on all points along the outer and inner curved surfaces are tangent to the
surface and pass through the pivot axis (center of the annular radius). Thus, these forces produce no
moment and do not affect the force equilibrium equation. The hydro-static forces acting on the two
side surfaces of the quarter annular body cancel each other. Hence, the hydro-static force acting on the
rectangular cross-section submerged in water is determined using the balanced mass W.

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Specifically, the magnitude of the hydro-static force acting on this flat surface can be calculated as the
product of the balanced mass W and the submerged depth of the surface using the formula below:
When the system reaches equilibrium, the moment about the pivot point is:
m . g. L = F . h’’ (1)
Where:
 m (kg): mass attached,
 g (9.81 m/s²): gravitational acceleration,
 L (m): lever arm from the mass position to the pivot point,
 F (N): hydro-static force,
 h’’ (m): distance from the pivot point to the pressure center.

Thus, by calculating the hydro-static pressure and the height of the pressure center relative to the
outer curved surface of the quarter annular body, the experimental results can be compared with the
values calculated using theoretical formulas.
When the plane is partially submerged:

Figure 2: Diagram of the plane partially submerged in water:

Where:

 H: distance from the pivot center to the outer surface of the quarter shape,
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 ℎ ′: depth of the hydro-static pressure center,
 d: submerged depth,
 D, B: height and width of the cross-sectional surface, respectively.
The hydro-static force acting on the cross-sectional surface is:
F=ρ×g×A×h (2)
Where:
 A = B.d,
 h = d/2,
From that, formula (2) will become: F = 1/2 × ρ × g × B × d2 (3)

The center of pressure is determined experimentally as follows:

Using the moment equilibrium equation (1), the center of pressure h′′ can be determined as:
2. m. L
h ' ' =2. m. L 2 (4)
ρ × B ×d

The center of pressure acting on the flat surface is determined theoretically using the following
formula:
d
h’’ = H− (5)
3

When the plane is fully submerged in water

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 Figure 3: Diagram of the flat surface fully submerged in water.
Similarly, the hydro-static force acting on the flat surface is calculated as:

𝐹 = 𝜌 . 𝑔 . 𝐷 . (d - 2 )
D
(6)

The experimental determination of the center of pressure is as follows:

 Using the equation of moment equilibrium (1), we can determine the center of pressure h ′′ as
follows:

m. L
h' '=
D (7)
ρ. B . D .(d− )
2

 The center of pressure acting on a flat surface can be determined using the theoretical formula as
follows:
2 2
D D
(d− )
12 2
h' '= +H-d (8)
D
(d− )
2

3. Experiment setup instructions:

Step 1: Measure the values of B, D, L, and H.
Step 2: Place and balance the container (without water) on the experimental table, adjusting it using
the leveling screws beneath and the leveling scale according to the plane of the table surface.
Step 3: Place the arm bar with the ¼ ring shape onto the Knife Edge position and ensure that the arm
bar can freely rotate around the Knife Edge axis.
Step 4: Attach the weight hook in the predetermined position, move the balance adjusting block until
the arm bar is balanced horizontally (check when the center of the arm is at the "0" position on the
measuring scale).

4. Experimental procedure:
After completing the checks in section Experimental setup instructions, to proceed with the
experiment, follow these steps:
Step 1: Add a small mass (usually 50g) and attach the weight hook, then slowly pour water into the
container until the arm bar reaches a balanced position.
Step 2: Once the arm bar is balanced horizontally, record the submerged depth using the measuring
scale on the ¼ block.
Step 3: Repeat Step 2 by adding additional small masses each time, continuing until the water level
reaches the maximum value on the measuring scale.

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5. Data:

 Record and write down all measurement data:

D= 0,102 (m)

B= 0,078 (m)

L= 0,282 (m)

H= 0,200 (m)

Moment Depth of h’’ (m)

Added Hydrostatic h’’ (m) from %
(Nm) immersion d from
mass (kg) force F (N) experiment differences
(M=mgL) (m) theory

0.15 0.3929 0.066 1.6623 0.2364 0.1930 22%

Partially
submerged 0.25 0.6548 0.085 2.7571 0.2375 0.1867 27%
0.35 0.9167 0.098 3.6650 0.2501 0.1823 37%
0.45 1.1787 0.112 4.7625 0.2475 0.1780 39%
Fully
submerged 0.55 1.4406 0.135 6.5881 0.2187 0.1739 26%
0.66 1.7287 0.163 8.8106 0.1962 0.1711 15%

6. Remark:

The value of the center of pressure height (h'') differs between experiment and theory. However,
overall, this difference is acceptable. The causes of the discrepancy are:

 The surface tension of water causes errors in observing the submerged depth (d).
 The experimental model is unstable when reading results.
 There is rounding in the process of recording results.
 Friction at the pivot point causes deviations in the results.
 During the experiment, the operator may have unintentionally bumped the model while reading
the results, leading to errors.