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Chapter 2 Review of Forces and Moments - Brown University

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Archimedes’ principle gives a simple way to calculate the resultant force exerted by fluid pressure on an<br />

immersed object.<br />

The magnitude <strong>of</strong> the resultant force is equal to<br />

the weight <strong>of</strong> water displaced by the object. The<br />

direction is perpendicular to the fluid surface.<br />

Thus, if the fluid has mass density ρ , <strong>and</strong> a<br />

volume V<br />

I<br />

<strong>of</strong> the object lies below the surface<br />

<strong>of</strong> the fluid, the resultant force due to fluid<br />

pressure is<br />

F<br />

Center <strong>of</strong> mass <strong>of</strong><br />

submerged portion V I<br />

= ρgV I<br />

j<br />

F<br />

Volume V I lies below<br />

fluid surface<br />

The force acts at the center <strong>of</strong> buoyancy <strong>of</strong> the immersed object. The center <strong>of</strong> buoyancy can be<br />

calculated by finding the center <strong>of</strong> mass <strong>of</strong> the displaced fluid (i.e. the center <strong>of</strong> mass <strong>of</strong> the portion <strong>of</strong> the<br />

immersed object that lies below the fluid surface).<br />

The buoyancy force acts in addition to gravity loading. If the object floats, the gravitational force is equal<br />

<strong>and</strong> opposite to the buoyancy force. The force <strong>of</strong> gravity acts (as usual) at the center <strong>of</strong> mass <strong>of</strong> the entire<br />

object.<br />

Aerodynamic lift <strong>and</strong> drag forces<br />

Engineers who design large<br />

bridges, buildings, or fast-moving<br />

terrestrial vehicles, spend much<br />

time <strong>and</strong> effort in managing aeroor<br />

hydro-dynamic forces.<br />

Hydrodynamic forces are also <strong>of</strong><br />

great interest to engineers who<br />

design bearings <strong>and</strong> car tires, since<br />

hydrodynamic forces can cause one<br />

surface to float above another, so<br />

reducing friction to very low<br />

levels.<br />

V<br />

F L<br />

(Lift acts perpendicular<br />

to flow)<br />

F D<br />

Flow is asymmetric near airfoil<br />

(Drag acts parallel<br />

to flow)<br />

In general, when air or fluid flow past an object (or equivalently, if the object moves through stationary<br />

fluid or gas), the object is subjected to two forces:<br />

1. A Drag force, which acts parallel to the direction <strong>of</strong> air or fluid flow<br />

2. A Lift force, which acts perpendicular to the direction <strong>of</strong> air or fluid flow.<br />

The forces act at a point known as the center <strong>of</strong> lift <strong>of</strong> the object – but there’s no simple way to predict<br />

where this point is.<br />

The lift force is present only if airflow past the object is unsymmetrical (i.e. faster above or below the<br />

object). This asymmetry can result from the shape <strong>of</strong> the object itself (this effect is exploited in the

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