Total force on surface of a plate?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the total force on the surface of a plate subjected to shear stress due to fluid flow. The subject area includes fluid dynamics and shear stress concepts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to understand if the shear stress varies along the plate and whether the total force can be calculated as a sum of contributions from different points. Some participants question the integration approach for calculating the total force and whether it should account for both sides of the plate.

Discussion Status

Participants are exploring different interpretations of the problem, particularly regarding the integration of shear stress across the length of the plate and the implications of flow on both sides. Guidance has been offered regarding the integral setup, but no consensus has been reached on the final formulation.

Contextual Notes

There is a mention of varying shear stress along the plate and the need to consider contributions from both the top and bottom surfaces, indicating potential complexities in the problem setup.

eterna
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Homework Statement


http://scienceofdoom.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/convection-basics-1b.png

How do I find the total force on that surface of the plate?

Homework Equations



T = μ * u'(y)

where T is the shear stress, μ is a scalar constant - the viscosity and u'(y) is the velocity gradient in the perpendicular direction

Force = T * A

The Attempt at a Solution


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Does every point along the plate have a different u(y) distribution so that the shear stress at the surface, μ * u'(y=0) , is different for all of these points?
And so the total force is the sum of μ * u'(y=0) * A for all of those points?
 
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Yes.

Chet
 
So is the correct integral

from 0 to L(length of the plate) : μ u'(0) width dl ?And so for the total force( top + bottom of plate), is it just two times that?
 
Yes, if the flow is on both sides of the plate.

Chet
 

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