Compute the fractional change in volume of a glass slab, when subjected to a hydraulic pressure of 10 atm.
Given data,
Hydraulic pressure exerted on the glass slab, p = 10 atm = 10× 1.013× 105 Pa.
The bulk modulus (or) of a substance is a measure of how incompressible/resistant to compressibility that substance is. It is defined as the ratio of the infinitesimal pressure increase to the resulting relative decrease of the volume.
Bulk modulus of glass by standards, B = 37 × 109 Nm-2.
Bulk modulus, B = p/ (Δv/v)
Where,
Δv/v = Fractional change in volume.
∴ Δv/v = ρ / B
⇒ 10× 1.013 × 105 / (37 × 109)
= 2.73 × 10-5
Hence, the fractional change in the volume of the glass slab is 2.73 × 10-5