Center of Pressure Apparatus

A fabricated quadrant is mounted on a balance arm which pivots on knife edges. The knife edges coincide with the centre of arc of the quadrant. Thus, of the hydrostatic forces acting on the quadrant when immersed, only the force on the rectangular end face gives rise to a moment about the knife edges. The balance arm incorporates a hanger for the weights supplied and an adjustable counterbalance. This assembly is mounted on top of an acrylic tank which may be levelled by adjusting screwed feet. Correct alignment is indicated on a circular spirit level mounted on the base of the tank. An indicator attached to the side of the tank shows when the balance arm is horizontal. Water is admitted to the top of the tank by a flexible tube and may be drained through a cock in the side of the tank. The water level is indicated on a scale on the side of the quadrant.

Experiments 

• Determining the centre of pressure on both a submerged or partially submerged plane surface and comparison with the theoretical position.
• Studying the relationship between hydrostatic force and head of water for a fully and partially submerged vertical and inclined plane.
• Comparison of actual and theoretical hydrostatic force on a fully or partially submerged plane for any given head of water.
• Theoretical calculation of the position of centre of pressure on a fully or partially submerged plane.