Physics
In order to do a simple calculation of the force on a rectangular flood gate one can use the following equation:
where:
- F = force measured in the SI units kg·m·s–2 which is called the newton (N)
- p = pressure measured in N/m2, which is called the pascal (Pa)
-
- where:
- ρ (rho) is the density of fresh water (1000 kg/m3);
- g is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth (9.8 m/s2 );
- h is the height of the water column in meters.
- where:
-
- A = area = rectangle : length × height measured in m2
-
- where:
- length = the horizontal length of a rectangular floodgate measured in meters
- height = the height of a non-submerged flood gate from the bottom of the water column to the water surface measured in meters
-
If the rectangular flood gate is submerged below the surface the same equation can be used but only the height from the water surface to the middle of the gate must be used to calculate the force on the flood gate.
Read more about this topic: Floodgate
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