M E 521: Foundations of Fluid Mechanics I, Fall Semester 2015

John M. Cimbala, Penn State University. Latest update: 08 October 2015

Lectures: Mon., Wed., Fri.: 3:35-4:25 p.m., Room 102 Leonhard Building
Text: Fluid Mechanics, Ed. 6, Kundu, Cohen, and Dowling. Elsevier Academic Press, 2016 [older editions okay].
Many reference books are on reserve in the Engineering Library - see web site for a list of these books.
Prerequisite: At least one undergraduate fluid mechanics course
Web Pages: The material for this course will be posted on Penn State ANGEL at www.angel.psu.edu. I also maintain a
second website for this course at www.mne.psu.edu/me521, but do not plan to use it much. Students are
expected to check the ANGEL web site regularly for homework assignments, announcements, videos, and other
information. Hardcopies (handouts) of homework assignments and class material will not be given in class.
Instructor: John M. Cimbala, Professor of Mechanical Engineering. 234 Reber Building, 814-863-2739, [email protected],
www.mne.psu.edu/cimbala. Office hours and weekly schedule posted on website.
TA/Grader: Alex Wouden, 325 Reber Building, (435) 757-2815, [email protected].
General Description and Course Outline: [May change. A more detailed up-to-date outline is provided on the website.]
This is the first course of a two-semester fluid mechanics sequence for graduate students in the thermal sciences. After a brief
introduction and a short discussion about tensors and tensor notation, the conservation equations for fluid flow are derived. The
remainder of the course deals with solutions of these equations, both exact and approximate. The approximate solutions include
irrotational (potential) flow, low Reynolds number (creeping) flow, and high Reynolds number (boundary layer) flow. Some
computational solution techniques are introduced as well – students solve similarity problems using the Runge-Kutta technique,
and are introduced to some commercial CFD packages. Only laminar flows are considered in this first semester; stability,
transition, and turbulence will be studied next semester in the follow-on course, M E 522.
Approx. week Topic(s) to be covered Reading assignment
1 Introduction: notation; review; vectors, tensors, and tensor notation Chapters 1 and 2
2 Kinematics: Lagrangian vs. Eulerian descriptions; material derivative; Chapter 3
streamlines; stress and strain; vorticity; circulation; stream function; cylindrical
and polar coordinates
3, 4 Conservation Laws: control volume integrals; stress tensor; constitutive Chapter 4
equations; differential equations for conservation of mass, momentum and
energy; Bernoulli equation; buoyancy
5, 6 Vorticity Dynamics: Kelvin’s circulation theorem; vorticity equation; interaction Chapter 5
of vortices
7, 8, 9 Irrotational Flow: complex variables; elementary flows; superposition; images; Chapters 7 and 14
conformal mapping; numerical solutions; application to aerodynamics;
axisymmetric flows; 3-D flows
10, 11, 12 Laminar Flow Solutions: diffusion; exact analytical solutions; similarity Chapters 9 and 6
solutions; Runge-Kutta technique; creeping flow; introduction to CFD;
introduction to compressible flow
13, 14, 15 Laminar Boundary Layers: introduction to the boundary layer approximation; Chapter 10
flat plate; Falkner-Skan flow; separation; cylinders and spheres; free shear flows
Grades: All exams and homework assignments are comprehensive. Mark your calendars!
Component of Grade Schedule
Assigned homework 30% Approximately weekly, typically due on Fridays
Mid-term examination 1 20% In class, Wednesday September 30 [other arrangements for World Campus students]
Mid-term examination 2 20% In class, Wednesday November 11 [other arrangements for World Campus students]
Final examination 30% Monday 12/14, 8:00-9:50 am, 110 Wartik [other arrangements for WC students]
Note: Class participation is encouraged and will be taken into account for students whose final grade is “on the border.” For
example, you are encouraged to bring in newspaper or magazine articles that relate to the topics discussed in class.
Grade Disputes: If a student feels that an exam or homework set was graded unfairly, or if there is an error in the grading, it
should be brought to the attention of the grader (HWTA, Examsinstructor) within one week after the graded material is
handed back. Scores will not be reconsidered beyond one week after they are handed back, except under unusual circumstances.
Academic Dishonesty: Cheating is not tolerated in this course. You should refer to the Academic Integrity website at
http://www.engr.psu.edu/faculty-staff/academic-integrity.aspx which explains what behaviors are in violation of academic
integrity, and the review process for such violations. On the next page is a summary of the policy. Specifically for this course:
 First offense: Zero score for the item in question, and infraction reported to the College.
 Second offense: Failure of the course, and infraction reported to the College.
Summary of Penn State’s Academic Dishonesty Policy: The University defines academic integrity as the pursuit of
scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner. All students should act with personal integrity, respect other
students' dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of
their efforts (refer to Senate Policy 49-20. Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this course. Dishonesty includes, but is
not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others,
having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing
the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Students who are found to be dishonest will receive
academic sanctions and will be reported to the University's Office of Student Conduct for possible further disciplinary sanctions
(refer to Senate Policy G-9).