(a) Determine the net horizontal and vertical fluid forces acting on the gate and their lines of action. (b) What resultant moment do these forces produce about the pivot, O? (N.B. This question can be answered without any calculations).
Patm
20 m
Patm
R=6m
:= 1000
kg/m3
g := 9.81
m/s2
Since Patm contributes to pressure on all faces of the gate, the net forces are found by considering just the hydrostatic pressure distribution. (a) Horizontal and vertical forces on gate and lines of action (i) Horizontal force, FH Consider the vertical projection of the gate
yC = 23 m yR
20 m
XC
XC
C FH R
6m
h := 6
y
m m
b := 10
y C := 23
2300_Example_Sec4.3
FH = PCV AV
PCV = g y C AV = b h
then
FH := g y C b h
FH = 1.354 10
FH acts through the centre of pressure of AV (point R) IXcXc y C AV + yC where from the course manual, for a rectangular area b h IXcXc = 12
3
yR =
b h
then
y R :=
12
y C b h
y R = 23.13
(ii) Vertical force, FV FV acts vertically upward and is equal to the weight of the imaginary volume of water sketched
V
20 m
6m
O 10 m
The volume is made up of two simpler volumes: a rectangular cube and a quarter cylinder. We can work out the vertical forces and lines of action separately for each of the volumes and then determine the resultant force and line of action.
2300_Example_Sec4.3
then
FV1 20 m C1 xC1
FV = FV1 + FV2
and
FV2 C2 xC2
1 2 FV2 := g 6 10 4
6m
)
N
FV
To fine the resultant line of action of FV, we use the fact that it must produce the same moment about any axis (such as O) as FV1 and FV2 do together i.e. FV x = FV1 xC1 + FV2 xC2 xC1 := 3 m 4 r xC2 = 3 4 6 xC2 := 3 xC2 = 2.546 then x := FV1 xC1 + FV2 xC2 FV m for a 1/4 circle, from the manual
and
x = 2.914
2300_Example_Sec4.3
(b) Moment about pivot, O, (Could the hydrostatic pressure force inadvertently open the gate?) Consider the hydrostatic pressure distribution acting on the gate
PR
dFR
The line of action of the pressure force on every section of the gate passes through O. Thus, the pressure distribution produces no moment about O. As a result, the mechanism that opens the gate only needs to overcome the weight of the gate itself, not any unbalanced moments due to the water.
2300_Example_Sec4.3