Water Pressure

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The total thrust from water retained behind a wall is

P = ½ go H2

where H = height of water above bottom of wall, ft (m); and
go= unit weight of water, lb/ft3 (62.4 lb/ft3 (1001g/m) for freshwater and 64 lb/ft3 (1026.7 kg/m3) for saltwater)

The thrust is applied at a point H/3 above the bottom of the wall, and the pressure distribution is triangular, with the maximum pressure of 2P / H occurring at the bottom of the wall. Regardless of the slope of the surface behind the wall, the thrust from water is always horizontal.

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