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Unbalanced water pressure on walls

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J1D

Structural
Feb 22, 2004
259
For a swimming pool or water containing basin with an expansion joint, the water static pressure on one side of the basin is apparently not balanced. I wonder how to calculate the unbalanced pressure if a basin has an opening on a wall and the water falls down from the opening like a waterfall?

Thanks for comments in advance.
 
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I'm not sure I'm clear on what you're asking. If there is water on one side of a wall and a different level of water on the other side of a wall, the pressure is caused by the difference in heights of water. It varies by elevation starting at zero at the top.
If there is a hole in the wall, water will flow from the side with higher head to the side with lower head. But that's a different problem.
 
Jed, the question is for a swimming pool-like basin with opening. No higher end, lower end. When the water is flowing out through the opening (not a hole, it is a segment of a wall), what would be the unbalanced water pressure? I don't know whether it is the same as the way to calculate the unbalanced static water pressure.
 
I think you have a weir. You need to design for the worst case condition. Can the pool be empty on the downstream side ??

You need to clarify the problem!

 
If the water is on both side of the walls, there must be a difference in head to make water flow through the hole. this difference might be imperceptable, but it's there. One-tenth of an inch of head difference would create a large flow through a large opening, but not necessarily impact the wall's design. You might not even realize there is a head difference.
Basically, if there is a difference in water elevation between the two chambers, the wall must be designed for it. But if it's very small, it may be ignored.
 
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