Fluid mechanics

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION AND BASIC CONCEPTS

Prepared by : Dr. Hewa Hussein Omar

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 Chapter 1
In this introductory chapter, we present the basic concepts commonly used in
the analysis of fluid flow. We start this chapter with a discussion of the phases
of matter and the numerous ways of classification of fluid flow, such as
viscous versus inviscid regions of flow, internal versus external flow,
compressible versus incompressible flow, laminar versus turbulent flow,
natural versus forced flow, and steady versus unsteady flow

OBJECTIVES
When you finish reading this chapter, you should be
able to
■ Understand the basic concepts of fluid mechanics
■ Recognize the various types of fluid flow
problems encountered in practice
 History
Faces of Fluid Mechanics

Archimedes Newton Leibniz Bernoulli Euler

(C. 287-212 BC) (1642-1727) (1646-1716) (1667-1748) (1707-1783)

Navier Stokes Reynolds Prandtl Taylor Kolmogorov

(1785-1836) (1819-1903) (1842-1912) (1875-1953) (1886-1975) (1903-1987)
Common Applications of Fluids
• Hydroelectric Power Plants and Thermal Power Plants

• Automobiles, Hydraulic machines, aircraft, space craft and boats

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 Common Applications of Fluids
• Refrigerators and Air Conditioners • piping and plumbing

• Human body
• Fluids as a Renewable Energy Source

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 INTRODUCTION
• Mechanics: it is a physical science that deals with the state
of rest or motion of bodies under the influence of forces
(compressor, tensile and shear)
Statics: The branch of mechanics that deals with bodies at
rest is called statics.
Dynamics: the branch that deals with bodies in motion
under the action of forces is called dynamics.
• Fluid mechanics: the science that deals with the behavior
of fluids at rest (fluid statics) or in motion (fluid dynamics),
and the interaction of fluids with solids or other fluids at the
boundaries.
1 Fluid statics it is a branch of fluid mechanics that deals with the response/behavior of fluid
when they are at rest. The study of incompressible fluids under static conditions is called
hydro statics and that dealing with the compressible static gases is termed as aerostatics.
2 Fluid dynamics is "the branch of applied science that is concerned with the movement of
liquids and gases“ It deals with the relations between velocities, accelerations of fluids with the
forces or energy causing them.
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hydrodynamics: The study of the motion of fluids that can be approximated as incompressible
(such as liquids, especially water, and gases at low speeds) is usually referred to as
hydrodynamics.
hydraulics : A subcategory of hydrodynamics is hydraulics, which deals with liquid flows in
pipes and open channels.
Gas dynamics: deals with the flow of fluids that undergo significant density changes, such as
the flow of gases through nozzles at high speeds.
Aerodynamics: deals with the flow of gases (especially air) over bodies such as aircraft,
rockets, and automobiles at high or low speeds.
Some other specialized categories such as meteorology, oceanography, and hydrology deal
with naturally occurring flows.
 What Is a Fluid?
• Fluid: is a substance that deforms continuously under the
application of the straight shearing stress. It is a phase of
matter that contains liquids, gases.
Distinction between a solid and a fluid is made on the basis of
the substance’s ability to resist an applied shear (or tangential)
stress that tends to change its shape. A solid can resist an
applied shear stress by deforming, whereas a fluid deforms Deformation of a rubber block
continuously under the influence of a shear stress, no matter placed between two parallel
how small. In solids, stress is proportional to strain, but in plates under the influence of a
fluids, stress is proportional to strain rate. shear force. The shear stress
When a constant shear force is applied, a solid eventually stops shown is that on the rubber—an
deforming at some fixed strain angle, whereas a fluid never equal but opposite shear stress
stops deforming and approaches a constant rate of strain. acts on the upper plate.

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 What Is a Fluid?
• stress is defined as force per unit area, and is determined by
dividing the force by the area upon which it acts.
• normal stress is the normal component of a force acting on
a surface per unit area
• shear stress is the tangential component of a force acting on
a surface per unit area
• Pressure is the normal stress, In a fluid at rest.

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A Fluid may be a liquid or gas

• Liquid: The liquid is a state of matter in which there is no defined

structure and a fixed amount of matter. A liquid occupies a fixed
volume and a horizontal free surface.
• Physical Properties of Liquid
1. Liquid volume is fixed but the shape is not shaped.
2. Liquids are almost incompressible.
3. Molecules are pretty close to each other in liquids.
4. The liquids have their boiling points, in normal conditions, above
room temperature.

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A Fluid may be a liquid or gas

• Gas : A gas does not have a fixed shape or size but will fills the container which
holds it and it does not form free surface.

• Gases have three characteristic properties:

1. they are easy to compress
2. they expand to fill their containers
3. they occupy far more space than the liquids or solids from which they form.

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Different state of matter

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The arrangement of atoms in different phases: (a) molecules are at
relatively fixed positions in a solid, (b) groups of molecules move Unlike a liquid, a gas does not form
about each other in the liquid phase, and (c) individual molecules a free surface, and it expands to fill
move about at random in the gas phase. the entire available space

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Classification of fluid

• The fluids can be classified as

follows:
1. Ideal Fluid
2. Real Fluid
3. Newtonian Fluid
4. Non -Newtonian Fluid
5. Ideal Plastic Fluid
6.Incompressible fluid
7.Compressible fluid

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1 Ideal fluid: A fluid, which is incompressible and having no viscosity, is known as an ideal
fluid. Ideal fluid is only an imaginary fluid as all the fluids, which exist, have some viscosity.

2 Real fluid: A fluid, which possesses viscosity, is known as real fluid. All the fluids, in actual
practice,
are real fluids. Example : Water, Air etc.
3 Newtonian fluid: A real fluid, in which shear
stress in directly proportional to the rate of shear
strain or velocity gradient, is known as a
Newtonian fluid. Example : Water, kerosene etc.

4 Non Newtonian fluid: A real fluid, in which

shear stress in not directly proportional to the
rate of shear strain or velocity gradient, is
known as a Non Newtonian fluid. Example:
Coneflower, butter, motor oil.
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5 Ideal plastic fluid: A fluid, in which shear
stress is more than the yield value and shear
stress is proportional to the rate of shear strain or
velocity gradient, is known as ideal plastic fluid.
Example: Tooth paste

6 Incompressible fluid: A fluid, in which the

density of fluid does not change which change
in external force or pressure, is known as
incompressible fluid. All liquid are considered
in this category.

7 Compressible fluid: A fluid, in which the

density of fluid changes while change in
external force or pressure, is known as
compressible fluid. All gases are considered in
this category.

Soran university- Ms. Trifa I. Mustafa 16

 CLASSIFICATION OF FLUID FLOWS
Earlier we defined fluid mechanics as the science that deals with the behavior of fluids at
rest or in motion, and the interaction of fluids with solids or other fluids at the boundaries.
There is a wide variety of fluid flow problems encountered in practice, and it is usually
convenient to classify them on the basis of some common characteristics to make it feasible
to study them in groups. There are many ways to classify fluid flow problems, and here we
present some general categories.

• Viscous versus Inviscid Regions of Flow

• Internal versus External Flow
• Compressible versus Incompressible Flow

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 Viscous versus Inviscid Regions of Flow
• When two fluid layers move relatively to each
other, frictional force develops between them
which is quantified by the fluid property
'viscosity'. Which is measure of internal sickness
of the fluid. Boundary layer flows are the
example viscous flow.

Viscous flows regions : Flows in which the

frictional effects are significant are called viscous
flows.
Inviscid flow regions: in many flows of practical
interest, there are regions (typically regions not
The flow of an originally uniform fluid stream
close to solid surfaces) where viscous forces are
over a flat plate, and the regions of viscous flow
negligibly small compared to inertial or pressure
(next to the plate on both sides) and inviscid
forces.
flow (away from the plate).
 Internal versus External Flow
External flow: The flow of an unbounded fluid
over a surface such as a plate, a wire, or a pipe
is external flow.
Internal flow: The flow in a pipe or duct is
internal flow if the fluid is bounded by solid
surfaces.

• Water flow in a pipe, for example, is internal

flow, and airflow over a ball is external flow
• The flow of liquids in a duct is called open-
channel flow if the duct is only partially
External flow over a tennis ball, and the
filled with the liquid and there is a free
turbulent wake region behind.
surface.
• The free surface of a liquid just means the
surface that is in contact with air.
 Compressible versus Incompressible Flow
A flow is classified as being compressible or
incompressible, depending on the level of variation of
density during flow.
Incompressible flow: if the density of the flowing fluid
remains nearly constant throughout. The densities of liquids
are essentially constant, and thus the flow of liquids is
typically incompressible. Therefore, liquids are usually
referred to as incompressible substances.
Compressible flow: if the density of the fluid changes
during flow(e.g, high speed gas flow.
Gases, on the other hand, are highly compressible
When analyzing rockets, spacecraft, and other systems that
involve high-speed gas flows, the flow speed is often
expressed in terms of the dimensionless Mach number
defined as
 Laminar versus Turbulent Flow
Laminar flow: The highly ordered fluid motion characterized
by smooth layers of fluid is called laminar.
The flow of high-viscosity fluids such as oils at low velocities
is typically laminar.
Turbulent flow: The highly disordered fluid motion that
typically occurs at high velocities and is characterized by
velocity fluctuations is called turbulent. The flow of low-
viscosity fluids such as air at high velocities is typically
turbulent.
transitional flow: A flow that alternates between being
laminar and turbulent is called transitional.

Laminar, transitional, and

turbulent flows over a flat plate.
 Natural (or Unforced) versus Forced Flow
Forced flow: A fluid is forced to flow over a surface or in a pipe by external means such as a
pump or a fan.
Natural flows: fluid motion is due to natural means such as the buoyancy effect, which
manifests itself as the rise of warmer (and thus lighter) fluid and the fall of cooler (and thus
denser) fluid

Steady versus Unsteady Flow

The term steady implies no change of properties, velocity, temperature, etc., at a point with
time. The opposite of steady is unsteady.
The term uniform implies no change with location over a specified region.
The term periodic refers to the kind of unsteady flow in which the flow oscillates about a steady
mean.
Many devices such as turbines, compressors, boilers, condensers, and heat exchangers operate
for long periods of time under the same conditions, and they are classified as steady-flow
devices.
 One-, Two-, and Three-Dimensional Flows
• A flow field is best characterized by its velocity distribution, and thus a flow is said to be one-,
two-, or three-dimensional if the flow velocity varies in one, two, or three primary dimensions,
respectively
• However, the variation of
velocity in certain directions can
be small relative to the variation
in other directions and can be
ignored with negligible error.

The development of the velocity profile in a circular pipe. V =

V(r, z) and thus the flow is two-dimensional in the entrance
region, and becomes one-dimensional downstream when the
velocity profile fully develops and remains unchanged in the
flow direction, V = V(r). 23
 Newton's second law to fluid flow
• Newton’s second law: The acceleration of a body is proportional to
the net force acting on it and is inversely proportional to its mass.
• You are already familiar with numerous conservation laws such as the
laws of :
• 1- conservation of mass
• 2- conservation of energy
• 3- conservation of momentum.
• Historically, the conservation laws are first applied to a fixed quantity
of matter called a closed system or just a system, and then extended to
regions in space called open system or control volumes.

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 SYSTEM AND CONTROL VOLUME
• A system is defined as a quantity of matter or
a region in space chosen for study. The mass
or region outside the system is called the
surroundings. The real or imaginary surface
that separates the system from its surroundings
is called the boundary The boundary of a
system can be fixed or movable.
• A closed system or control mass: consists of
a fixed amount of mass, and no mass can cross
its boundary. But energy, in the form of heat or
work, can cross the boundary, and the volume
of a closed system does not have to be fixed.
• If, as a special case, even energy is
not allowed to cross the boundary,
that system is called an isolated A closed system with a moving boundary
system
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• An open system, or a control volume,
as it is often called, is a selected region
in space. It usually encloses a device
that involves mass flow such as a
compressor, turbine, or nozzle.
• Both mass and energy can cross the
boundary (the control surface) of a
control volume.

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Units of measurements

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