Example question on pressure of liquids

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SUMMARY

When designing a dam, both the horizontal extent of the water and the vertical depth must be considered. The total force exerted on the dam wall is proportional to the area, which is influenced by both the wall length and water depth. The design of long dams often incorporates oval or curved shapes to effectively manage the forces acting on them. Understanding the relationship between water depth and pressure is crucial, as pressure remains constant regardless of the volume of water surrounding a point at the same depth.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of fluid mechanics principles
  • Knowledge of dam engineering and design
  • Familiarity with stress and strain concepts in materials
  • Basic principles of hydrostatic pressure
NEXT STEPS
  • Research "hydrostatic pressure calculations" for dam design
  • Study "stress and strain analysis in civil engineering" for material selection
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Civil engineers, dam designers, and students in engineering fields focused on fluid mechanics and structural integrity will benefit from this discussion.

jayadds
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This question seemed a bit abstract to me, maybe some of you could come up with an answer with explanation?

When designing a dam should one consider the horizontal extent of the water behind the dam or the vertical depth of the water? Justify your answer.

Thanks.
 
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Hi Jayadds,

Do you mean the length of the dam wall?
 
Hassan2 said:
Hi Jayadds,

Do you mean the length of the dam wall?

Yes, I mean the length of the dam wall as well as the thickness.
 
jayadds said:
Yes, I mean the length of the dam wall as well as the thickness.

I'm not an expert in this field but according to my limited knowledge, the length of the wall does matter because the total force on the wall is proportional to area and the area is proportional to the wall length as well as to the water depth ( thickness). But a more detailed explanation is about stress and strain of the wall under the forces. Long dams are build oval-shaped or in other curved surfaces to resist the forces.
 
hi jayadds! :smile:
jayadds said:
When designing a dam should one consider the horizontal extent of the water behind the dam …

i think that means, how far away the water extends from the dam :wink:
 
Depth determines pressure, not volume. This means that whether you're at the bottom of the ocean or at the bottom of a narrow well, as long as the water depth is the same, the pressure and force on you will also be the same.
 
tiny-tim said:
hi jayadds! :smile:


i think that means, how far away the water extends from the dam :wink:

This.

And to answer the original question with another, just think about it a bit. What affects the pressure, how deep you are or how much water you have around you?
 

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