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Hydrostatics: Forces on Surfaces - Theory & Concepts - Hydrostatic Force

Calculating hydrostatic forces on plane and curved submerged surfaces, including magnitude and location (Center of Pressure).

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Hydrostatic Force on an Inclined Rectangular Gate

The angle is measured from the horizontal free surface, and the top-edge depth is a vertical distance.

Resultant force
206.0 kN
Centroid vertical depth, hˉ\bar h
3.500 m
Center-of-pressure vertical depth, hph_p
3.714 m
Center of pressure from top edge
1.714 m
free surfaceh₁CCPF

This model assumes a static, constant-density liquid and uniform pressure at the free surface. It reports both the distance along the plane and the vertical depth, which must not be interchanged in center-of-pressure calculations.