FLUID MECHANICS: Introduction 1

INTRODUCTION:
FLUID MECHANICS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The objective of the introduction of this module is to address the following:
• Students must be able to determine the dimensions and units of physical properties of fluids, both liquids and
gasses.
• Develop a good perception of the classification and properties of fluid and the principles of fluid behavior.
• Calculate common fluid properties given appropriate information.

INTRO-01: FLUID MECHANICS

Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids and the forces on them. It has
applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical, and biomedical engineering,
geophysics, oceanography, meteorology, astrophysics, and biology.

FLUID
• A fluid substance which deforms when subjected to a force.
• A fluid can offer no permanent resistance to any force causing change of shape.
• Fluids flow under their own weight and take the shape of any solid body which they are in contact.
• Fluids may be divided into liquids and gasses.

FLUID STATICS (HYDROSTATICS)

• Fluid Statics or Hydrostatics is the branch of fluid mechanics that studies fluids at rest. It embraces the study of the
conditions under which fluids are at rest or in stable equilibrium.
• Hydrostatics offers physical explanations for many phenomena of everyday life, such as why atmospheric pressure
changes with altitude, why wood and oil float on water, and why the surface of water is always level whatever the
shape of its container.

FLUID DYNAMICS (HYDRODYNAMICS)

• is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that deals with fluid flow.
• the science of liquids and gases in motion.
• Fluid dynamics offers a systematic structure—which underlies these practical disciplines—that embraces empirical
and semi-empirical laws derived from flow measurement and used to solve practical problems.

• involves calculating various properties of the fluid, such as velocity, pressure, density, and temperature, as
functions of space and time.
 FLUID MECHANICS: Introduction 2

NEWTONIAN FLUID
• A Newtonian fluid (named after Isaac Newton) is defined to be a fluid whose shear stress is linearly proportional to
the velocity gradient in the direction perpendicular to the plane of shear. This definition means regardless of the
forces acting on a fluid, it continues to flow.
• Example, water is a Newtonian fluid, because it continues to display fluid properties no matter
how much it is stirred or mixed.

NON-NEWTONIAN FLUID
• By contrast, stirring a non-Newtonian fluid can leave a "hole" behind. This will gradually fill up over time—this
behavior is seen in materials such as pudding, oobleck, or cornstarch with water.
• Stirring a non-Newtonian fluid can cause the viscosity to decrease, so the fluid appears "thinner" (this is seen in
non-drip paints)

INTRO-02: PROPERTIES OF FLUIDS:

DENSITY
• The density of fluid is its mass per unit volume.
• In SI; kg/m3
o 𝜌ℎ2𝑜 = 1000 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3
o 𝜌𝑎𝑖𝑟 = 1.23 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3
• Fluid Density is temperature and pressure dependent.
• Represented by ρ(rho)
o ρh2O @ 4ºC = 1000kg/m3
o ρh2O @ 50ºC = 988kg/m3
SPECIFIC GRAVITY or RELATIVE DENSITY
• specific gravity or relative density is the ratio of a fluid density to the density of a standard reference fluid
maintained the same temperature and pressure.
• Gas: Air
𝜌𝑔𝑎𝑠 𝜌𝑔𝑎𝑠
o 𝑆𝐺𝑔𝑎𝑠 = = 𝑘𝑔
𝜌𝑎𝑖𝑟 1.23 3
𝑚

• Liquid: Water
𝜌𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑑 𝜌𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑑
o 𝑆𝐺𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑑 = = 𝑘𝑔
𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 1000 3
𝑚

SPECIFIC WEIGHT
• Weight of fluid per unit volume
• In N/m3
o 𝛾ℎ2𝑜 = 9.81 𝑁/𝑚3
o 𝛾𝑎𝑖𝑟 = 12.07 𝑁/𝑚3
 FLUID MECHANICS: Introduction 3

VISCOSITY
• A property of fluid which determines the amount of its resistance to a shearing force.
• Viscosity is due primarily to interaction of fluid molecules.
VAPOR PRESSURE
• When evaporation takes place within an enclosed space, the partial pressure created by the vapor molecules is
called vapor pressure.
CAPILLARITY
• Rise or fall of liquid in a capillary tube (or in porous media ex. sponge) is caused by surface tension and depends on
the relative magnitudes of the cohesion of the liquid and the adhesion of the liquid to the walls of the containing
vessel.

INTRO-03: GUIDE IN PROBLEM SOLVING

Fluid analysis is packed with problems to be solved. Solving a large number of problems is a key to learning the subject. One
must deal with equations, data, tables, assumptions, unit systems, and solution schemes. The degree of difficulty will vary,
and we urge you to sample the whole spectrum of activities of assignments and seatworks.
Here are the recommended steps for problem solution:
1. Read the problem and restate it with your summary of the results desired.
2. From tables or charts, gather the needed property data: density, viscosity, etc.
3. Make sure you understand what is asked. Students are apt to answer the wrong question—for example, pressure
instead of pressure gradient, lift force instead of drag force, or mass flow instead of volume flow. Read the
problem carefully.
4. Make a detailed, labeled sketch of the system or control volume needed.
5. Think carefully and list your assumptions. You must decide if the flow is steady or unsteady, compressible or
incompressible, viscous or inviscid, and whether a control volume or partial differential equations are needed.
6. Find an algebraic solution if possible. Then, if a numerical value is needed, use either the SI or English unit systems
7. Report your solution, labeled, with the proper units and the proper number of significant figures (usually two or
three) that the data uncertainty allows.
 FLUID MECHANICS: Introduction 4

INTRODUCTION REFLECTION

Through the Introduction:

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