CHAPTER II:

Principles of Hydrostatic Pressure

LIQUID PROPERTIES/ BEHAVIOUR WITHOUT ANY EXTERNAL FORCE EFFECTS (ONLY ATMOSPHERIC
PRESSURE):

Increases with depth

Does not depend upon the surface

area/ shape of its confining vessel

Acts in all directions

Pressure taken at any point in the

same horizontal level is constant

Pressure of a gas above the free surface

of a confined liquid is transferred
FBD of a certain volume of liquid undiminished in every direction.
showing the action of forces…

PRESSURE INCREASES WITH DEPTH:

Suppose that a spouting can or simply a

can is poured with water. Drilling three (3) holes
Spouting Holes for jets at the side at different elevations causes the
can
formation of water jet or streamlines of water
Weakest jet
to leak at the holes.

With the gravitational force exerted

upon the water, the water’s natural tendency
would be to “leak” or “discharge” water into the
Strongest jet said holes.

water Taking a closer look, the uppermost

hole would provide the weakest streamline/ jet
table of water as there is less pressure at the top.

The lowermost hole would provide the greatest streamline/ jet of water which is due to the fact that
pressure located beneath is of the greatest value of all.
PRESSURE DOES NOT DEPEND UPON THE
SURFACE AREA/ SHAPE OF ITS CONFINING
VESSEL:

Irregardless of the shape to which the liquid is

stored/ confined, pressure brought about by the body of
liquid would not depend upon the shape/ contour of
confining vessel.

Liquid pressure is always a function of the liquids

height/ depth. That is liquid pressure is directly
proportional with the depth or height of the liquid.

LIQUID PRESSURE ACTS IN ALL DIRECTIONS

The funnel containing liquid shown is bent at

P1 different directions/ angles. With the presence of a
liquid and a certain depth/ height, liquid pressure
could be seen acting in all directions or parts of the
funnel containing the liquid only.
P2
However, the pressure acting on the given
funnel is of different values at different locations/
elevations in particular.
P3
Suppose that a point was taken at one
particular portion of the funnel. The pressure that will
be acting on that particular point will be coming in
at all directions or at all portions of the circumference
of the point. And with the point having a negligible
size, pressure in this case would be the same at all
points/ directions

Exploded view of a point taken in a liquid

A spring is a device that can be used to

store energy. If such were to be submerged in a
body of liquid at a particular depth and held in
equilibrium, the spring will be compressed. This
is brought about by the pressure exerted by the
volume of liquid which varies with depth.

Irregardless of its positioning, the spring

will still be deflected…

A cylinder with a lid spring mounted on the inside…

 PRESSURE OF A GAS ABOVE THE FREE SURFACE
OF A CONFINED LIQUID IS TRANSFERRED
UNDIMINISHED IN EVERY DIRECTIONS.

If the pressure of a confined liquid varies with

“depth or height”, the same could not be said of a
confined gas that is hovering above the free surface of
the confined liquid.

As for gases, its pressure does not vary with the

height or depth to which it is confined. It has the same
pressure all throughout its confining vessel.

Consider Gas Law:

P1V1/ T1 = P2V2/ T2 = P3V3/ T3 with change in condition(P, V, and T)

but without a change in mass, m…..

from General Gas Law Equation: PV = m R T

LIQUID PRESSURE AT THE SAME HORIZONTAL

PLANE IS CONSTANT:

Irregardless of the liquid’s confining vessel to

which it would be contained, pressure taken along
the same horizontal plane is said to be constant. This
even if one space is smaller or larger than the other.

From the configuration, pressure at the

handle portion is the same with the pressure at the
right wall of the water container. Phandle Pwall

But that the pressure at the container’s lip is

of the largest value as pressure varies directly with
depth…

Such principle is used

so as to indicate the level of
liquid inside liquid storage
tanks…

Photo insert shows

one of the many shapes of a
level gauge…
LIQUID PROPERTIES/ BEHAVIOUR UNDER THE ACTION OF EXTERNAL FORCES:

Liquids can transmit motion and

force

Liquids can increase/ decrease force A confined liquid under pressure/ action
of force has its pressure transferred
undiminished in every direction
(PASCAL’S LAW)

A CONFINED LIQUID UNDER

PRESSURE HAS ITS PRESSURE
FORCE TRANSFERRED UNDIMINISHED IN
EVERY DIRECTION

When pressure is exerted on a confined

liquid, it is transmitted undiminished. Force on
the piston has created a pressure of 50 psi
(pounds per square inch), upon the liquid in the
pressure cylinder. Notice that all gauges read the
same throughout the system. Pressure is
transmitted undiminished to all parts of the
system. If gauge A reads 50 psi, gauges B, C, D,
and E will also read 50 psi.

LIQUID CAN TRANSMIT MOTION AND

FORCE:

In the Figure, you will see that any

movement of piston A will cause piston B to
move an equal amount. This is a transmission of
motion though a liquid. If a 200 lb force is placed
on piston A, piston B will support 200 lbs. Both
pistons are the same size.
Applying an external force besides the
given weight would add force over the given
cross sectional area thus increasing its pressure at
A and then will cause piston B to move upwards.
 LIQUID CAN INCREASE/ DECREASE
FORCE:

When a force is applied to piston A, it

can be increased if it is transmitted to a larger
piston B. If piston A has a surface area of 1 sq.
inch, the 200 lb force on piston A represents a
pressure of 200 pounds per square inch (psi).
According to Pascal's Law, this 200 psi force
will be transmitted undiminished.

If piston B has a surface area of 20 sq. inch, piston A will exert a 200 lb force on each square inch of
piston B. This would produce a mechanical advantage (MA) of twenty, and the original 200 lb force would
be increased to 4000 lbs. The force may be further increased by either making piston A smaller or piston B
larger. Reversing the configuration’s process decreases the force that is conveyed.

THE HYDRAULIC JACK

The hydraulic jack which is one tool that

every motorists should have is a powerful yet simple
tool. Figure shows how a fluid can be used to
produce a powerful lifting force using the principles
of hydraulics. When the jack handle raises piston A,
piston A will form a vacuum. This will draw check
valve 1 open and close check valve 2. When the
handle is depressed with a force that exerts 200 lbs
pressure (or any force) on piston A, check valve 1 will
close, check valve 2 will open and 200 psi will be
transmitted to piston B. If piston B has a surface
area one hundred times greater than the 1 sq. inch
area of A, piston B will raise a weight of 200,000
lbs.
 HYDRAULIC PRINCIPLES IN VEHICLE BRAKE SYSTEMS:
When a driver depresses the brake pedal, force is transmitted undiminished to each caliper or wheel
cylinder. The caliper pistons or wheel cylinders transfer this force (increased or decreased, depending on piston
area) to the friction linings.

When the master cylinder piston moves, the caliper pistons or wheel cylinders will move until the
brake friction components are engaged. This causes the vehicle to stop gradually.

Brake fluid is used to transmit motion and pressure through the hydraulic system. Not any fluid can
be used in a brake system. Some of the more important characteristics of quality brake fluid are:

 Maintains even viscosity throughout a wide temperature variation.

 Does not freeze at the coldest possible temperature (hygroscopic has the ability to absorb and retain
moisture) that the vehicle may encounter.
 Boiling point is above the highest operating temperature of the brake system parts.
 Does not corrode the brake system’s metal parts. It acts as a lubricant for pistons, seals, and cups to
reduce internal wear and friction.
 It does not deteriorate (swell) the brake system's plastic and rubber parts.

Under no circumstances put anything but brake fluid into the brake system. Any mineral or petroleum-
based oils such as motor oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, kerosene, or gasoline in even the smallest
amounts will swell and destroy the rubber cups and seals in the system. **Warning: Brake fluid is poison.
Keep it away from skin and eyes. Do not allow brake fluid to splash on painted surfaces.

(a) Pressure applied to a car’s brake pedal is transmitted by the brake fluid
to the car’s wheels.
(b) The same force per unit area is supported by different sized pistons that
are at the same height and are in contact with a static fluid, because
the fluid pressure on each piston is the same. Thus a small force applied
to a small piston balances a large force on a large piston.
(c) The force-multiplying effect shown in (b) is applied in this hydraulic lift.
VARIATION OF PRESSURE WITH DEPTH IN A FLUID:
Consider a prism with a given cross-sectional area A and a length L that is submerged at an inclination in a
body of water. With the prism considered at rest, equilibrium conditions apply.

Forces along the length of the prism:

ACTIVITY QUESTIONS TO FURTHER IMPROVE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF

PRESSURE:

1. A small amount of water is boiled in a 1 gallon metal can. The can is removed from the heat and the lid put on.
Shortly thereafter the can collapses… Explain…

2. A person’s ability to do work is greatly affected when working at very high altitudes/ mountain ranges. Does the
same hold true in the case of automobiles???

Explain how the tube known as a “SIPHON”, can transfer

liquid from one container to a lower one even though the
liquid must flow uphill for part of its journey. (Note: The tube
must be filled with liquid to start with).
 3. If you dangle two pieces of paper vertically a few inches apart, and
blow between them, how do you think the papers will move?? Try it and see…
Explain…

4. The two open tanks have the same bottom area, A but have
different shapes. When the depth, h, of a liquid in the two
tanks is the same, the pressure on the bottom of the two
tanks will be the same. However, the weight of the liquid in
each of the tanks is different. How do you account for this
apparent paradox???