Segment V2.3: Hoover Dam

(Related to Textbook Section 2.10 - Hydrostatic Force on a Curved Surface)

For an incompressible fluid at rest the pressure increases linearly with the fluid depth. As a consequence, large forces can be developed on plane and curved surfaces in contact with the fluid.

Hoover dam, on the Colorado river, is the highest concrete arch-gravity type of dam in the United States. The water behind Hoover dam is approximately 715 feet deep and at this depth the pressure is 310 psi. To withstand the large pressure forces on the face of the dam, its thickness varies from 45 feet at the top to 660 feet at the base. (Video courtesy of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.)