Total hydrostatic thrust on a vertical wall (per unit length) A vertical wall retains a single liquid of specific weight w up to height H on one side. Find the total pressure (resultant hydrostatic force) on the wall per unit length.
Mechanical Engineering
Hydraulics and Fluid Mechanics
Difficulty: Easy
Choose an option
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AwH
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BwH/2
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CwH2/2
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DwH2/3
Answer
Correct Answer: wH2/2
Explanation
Concept/ApproachPressure varies hydrostatically: p = w y at depth y. Resultant thrust per unit width is the area under the triangular pressure diagram.
Step-by-step calculationF = ∫0H w y dy = w [y²/2]0H = w H²/2.
Final AnswerwH2/2