Fluid and Fluid Properties

Fluid Concept
● Fluidmechanics is a division in applied
mechanics related to the behaviour of liquid or
gas which is either in rest or in motion.
● The study related to a fluid in rest or stationary
is referred to fluid static, otherwise it is
referred to as fluid dynamic.
● Fluid can be defined as a substance which can
deform continuously when being subjected to
shear stress at any magnitude. In other words,
it can flow continuously as a result of shearing
action. This includes any liquid or gas.
DEFINE FLUIDS
Free surface

(a) Solid (b) Liquid (c) Gas

A.N.KHUDAIWALA (L.M.E) G.P.PORBANDAR

Fluid Definition:
A fluid is a substance that flows under the action of
shearing forces. If a fluid is at rest, we know that the
forces on it are in balance.
A gas is a fluid that is easily compressed. It fills
any vessel in which it is contained.
A liquid is a fluid which is hard to compress. A
given mass of liquid will occupy a fixed volume,
irrespective of the size of the container.
A free surface is formed as a boundary between a
liquid and a gas above it.
Fluid Properties
• Define “characteristics” of a specific fluid
• Properties expressed by basic “dimensions”
– length, mass (or force), time, temperature

• Dimensions quantified by basic “units”

 Classification of fluids
● Ideal fluid and Real fluid

● Newtonian fluid and Non- newtonian fluid

● Compressible and incompressible fluid.

… al
Ide stic
pla uid
n
fl
n i a
No ton
e w nia n
N Newtoid
flu
Ideal fluid
(dU/ dY)
IDEAL FLUID

● The fluid in which there is no friction; it is INVISCID

(it’s viscosity is zero).
● The internal forces at any section within it are always
normal to the section, even during motion.
● So, these forces are purely pressure forces.

This does not exist in reality, many fluids approximate frictionless

flow at sufficient distances from solid boundaries and hence we
can analyze their behavior by assuming an ideal fluid.
Real fluids
● In real fluids, either liquid or gas, tangential or
shearing forces are developed always whenever there
is motion relative to a body, thus creating fluid
friction, because these forces oppose the motion of
one particle past another.
● These frictional forces give rise to a fluid property
called Viscosity.
 Newtonian fluids

● Newtonian fluid: A real fluid, in which the shear

stress is directly proportional to the rate of shear
strain (or velocity gradient), is known as Newtonian
fluid.
 Non Newtonian fluids
● Non Newtonian fluid: A real fluid, in which the
shear stress is not proportional to the rate of shear
strain (or velocity gradient), is known as Non-
Newtonian fluid.

● Non Newtonian fluids are relatively uncommon in

engineering use (examples are paints, printer’s ink,
gels and emulsions, sludges and slurries, and certain
plastics).
● So, we will use fluids that obey Newton’s equation of
viscosity under normal conditions.
 System International (SI)

• Length = meters (m)

• Mass = kilograms (kg)
• Time = second (s)
• Force = Newton (N)
– Force required to accelerate 1 kg @ 1 m/s2 Acceleration due to
– gravity (g) = 9.81 m/s2
– Weight of 1 kg at earth’s surface = W = mg = 1 kg (9.81 m/s2) =
9.81 kg-m/s2 = 9.81 N

• Temperature = Kelvin (oK)

–
273.15 oK = freezing point of water
–
K = 273.15 + oC
o
 System International (SI)

• Work and energy = Joule (J)

J = N*m = kg-m/s2 * m = kg-m2/s2

• Power = watt (W) = J/s

• SI prefixes:
G = giga = 109 c = centi = 10-2
M = mega = 106 m = milli = 10-3
k = kilo = 103  = micro = 10-6
 Density
• Mass per unit volume (e.g., @ 20 oC, 1 atm)

– Water water = 1,000 kg/m3 (62.4 lbm/ft3)
 = 13,500 kg/m3
– Mercury 
Hg

air = 1.205 kg/m3

– Air
• Densities of gases = strong f (T,p) =compressible
• Densities of liquids are nearly constant
(incompressible) for constant temperature
• Specific volume = 1/density = volume/mass
Density
The density of a fluid is defined as its mass per
unit volume. It is denoted by the Greek
symbol, .
 water= 998 kgm-3
kg
 =m air =1.2kgm-3
kgm-3 V m3
If the density is constant (most liquids), the flow is
incompressible.
If the density varies significantly (eg some gas flows), the
flow is compressible.
(Although gases are easy to compress, the flow may be treated
as incompressible if there are no large pressure fluctuations)
 Mass Density

mass
Density  ; m
Wood volume   V

Lead: 11,300 kg/m3

2 kg, 4000 cm3
Wood:500 kg/m3

4000 cm3
177 cm3
Lead 45.2 kg Lead
2 kg

Same volume Same mass

 Specific Weight
• Specific weight or weight density of a fluid is
the ration between the weight of a fluid to its
volume.
 Specific Weight
   g [N / m3] or
[lbf / ft3]
• Weight per unit volume (e.g., @ 20 oC, 1 atm)

water = (998 kg/m3)(9.807 m2/s)

= 9,790 N/m3
[= 62.4 lbf/ft3]
 = (1.205 kg/m3)(9.807 m2/s)
air

= 11.8 N/m3
[= 0.0752 lbf/ft3]
 Specific Volume
• Specific volume of a fluid is defined as the
volume of a fluid occupied by a unit mass or
volume per unit mass of a fluid.
 Specific Gravity
The specific gravity (or relative density) can be defined in two ways:
Definition 1: A ratio of the density of a liquid to the density of
water at standard temperature and pressure (STP)
(20C, 1 atm), or
Definition 2: A ratio of the specific weight of a liquid to the specific
weight of waterat standard temperature
and pressure (STP) (20C, 1 atm),

SG  liquid   liquid

water @ STP  water @ STP

Unit: dimensionless.
 Specific Gravity

Ratio of fluid density to density of water @ 4oC

liquid liquid
SGliquid  
 water 1000 kg /
m3
Water
SGwater = 1
Mercury
SGHg = 13.55
Note: SG is dimensionless and independent of system of units
 Specific Gravity
The specific gravity (or relative density) of a
material is the ratio of its density to the density of
water (1000 kg/m3).
x
r 
1000 kg/m3

Examples:
Steel (7800 kg/m3) r = 7.80
Brass (8700 kg/m3) r = 8.70
Wood (500 kg/m3) r = 0.500
A.N.KHUDAIWALA (L.M.E) G.P.PORBANDAR
 Viscosity
• Viscosity, , is a measure of resistance to fluid flow as a
result of intermolecular cohesion. In other words, viscosity
can be seen as internal friction to fluid motion which can
then lead to energy loss.
• Different fluids deform at different rates under the same
shear stress. The ease with which a fluid pours is an
indication of its viscosity. Fluid with a high viscosity such as
syrup deforms more slowly than fluid with a low viscosity
such as water. The viscosity is also known as dynamic
viscosity.
▪ Units: N.s/m2 or kg/m/s
▪ Typical values:
Water = 1.14x10-3 kg/m/s; Air = 1.78x10-5 kg/m/s
 Viscosity

• Proportionality constant = dynamic (absolute)

viscosity V+d
v
dV V
• Newton’s Law of Viscosity    dy

• Viscosity  
  dV / dy

N / m2 N  s Kinematic viscosity: m2/s

• Units m/s/  2
m
m
1 poise = 0.1 N-s/m2
• Water (@ 20 C):  = 1x10 N-s/m
o -3 2

• Air (@ 20oC):  = 1.8x10-5 N-s/m2

1 centipoises = 10-2 poise = 10-3 N-s/m2
  
• Kinematic viscosity
Viscosity
From Newton’s equation of viscosity we have,
● =  / (dU/dY)
●This is known as Coefficient of viscosity, the
absolute viscosity, the dynamic viscosity or simply
the viscosity of fluid.
The distinction between solids and fluid lies in the
manner in which each can resist SHEARING
STRESS.
Further distinction among various kinds of fluids
and solids is as:
Viscosity
● In case of solids, shear stress depends on magnitude
of deformation but according to Newton’s equation of
viscosity the shear stress is proportional to time rate
of (angular) deformation.

A fluid for which absolute viscosity does not change with rate
of deformation is called NEWTONIAN FLUID.
The slope of this line is “Absolute Viscosity”

A fluid for which absolute viscosity changes with rate of

deformation is called NON-NEWTONIAN FLUID.
Viscosity
Kinematic Viscosity = Absolute Viscosity / Density

●ν =  / ƿ
●Is called so because force is not involved, the only
dimensions being length and time, as in Kinematics.
UNITS: In Metric system it had units
In BG: ft2/sec cm2/s, also known as
In S.I: m2/s STOKE(St).
Name given after Sir George Stoke, an
English Physicist and pioneering
investigator of viscosity.
UDAIWALA (L.M.E) G.P.PORBANDAR
 Kinematic viscosity, 
Definition: is the ratio of the viscosity to the density;
• /
• will be found to be important in cases in which significant viscous
and
• gravitational forces exist.

• Units: m2/s
• Typical values:
• Water = 1.14x10-6 m2/s; Air = 1.46x10-5 m2/s;

• In general,
• viscosity of liquids Decrease with increase
temperature, whereas
viscosity of gases increase with increase in temperature.
Viscosity

DISTINCTION BETWEEN  & ν :

● of most fluids is virtually INDEPENDENT of

pressures encountered ordinarily in engineering work.

● ν of gases varies strongly with pressure because of

change in density.
Example 1.2
A reservoir of oil has a mass of 825 kg. The reservoir has a
volume of 0.917 m3. Compute the density, specific weight, and
specific gravity of the oil.

Solution:

mass 825
m
 oil  volume    0.917  900kg / m3
weight mg
    g  900x9.81  8829N / m3
oil
volume 

SG  oil 900
oil
 w@ STP  998 0.9
Compressibility & Elasticity

Compressibility is the reciprocal of the bulk modulus of

elasticity (K).

Bulk modulus of elasticity (K): is defined as the ratio of

compressive stress to volumetric strain.

Volumetric strain = (Change in volume/original volume)

Compressibility = 1 / K
Surface Tension
Surface tension is defined as the tensile force acting on
the surface of a liquid in contact with a gas or on the
surface between two immiscible liquids such that the
contact surface behaves like a membrane under tension.
Surface Tension Coefficient
● Surface tension coefficient s can be defined as the intensity of
intermolecular traction per unit length along the free surface of a
fluid, and its SI unit is N/m.

● Cohesion: It is the property of the fluid by which particles of the

same fluid are attracted. Surface tension is mainly due to cohesion
property of fluid.
● The surface tension effect is caused by unbalanced cohesion
forces at fluid surfaces which produce a downward resultant force
which can physically seen as a membrane.
● The coefficient is inversely proportional to temperature and is also
dependent on the type of the solid interface.
● For example, a drop of water on a glass surface will have a
different coefficient from the similar amount of water on a wood
surface.
Surface Tension
● The effect may be becoming significant for small fluid system such
as liquid level in a capillary, as depicted in Fig. 1.6, where it will
decide whether the interaction form by the fluid and the solid
surface is wetted or non-wetted.

● If the adhesion of fluid molecules to the adjacent solid surface is

stronger than the intermolecular cohesion, the fluid is said to wet
on the surface. Otherwise, it is a non-wetted interaction.
Surface Tension
▪ The pressure inside a drop of fluid can be calculated using a free-body
diagram of a spherical shape of radius R cut in half, as shown in Fig. 1.7,
and the force developed around the edge of the cut sphere is 2R.

▪ This force must be balance with the difference between the internal
pressure pi and the external pressure pe acting on the circular area of the
cut. Thus,
2R = pR2 p = pi –pe = 2
R
Adhesion:
• It is the property of the fluid by which
particles of different fluids or solid and fluid
are attracted.

• Capillarity is mainly due to adhesion property

of fluid.
Differences between adhesive & Cohesive:

A distinction is usually made between an

adhesive force, which acts to hold two
separate bodies together (or to stick one
body to another) and a cohesive force, which
acts to hold together the like or unlike atoms,
ions, or molecules of a single body.
Capillarity
Rise and fall of liquid in a capillary tube is caused by surface
tension.
Capillarity depends on the relative magnitudes of the cohesion of
the liquid to walls of the containing vessel.
When the adhesive forces between liquid and solid are larger than
the liquid's cohesive forces, the meniscus in a small diameter tube
will tend to be concave.
If adhesive forces are smaller than cohesive forces the meniscus
will tend to be convex, for example mercury in glass.

concave

convex

Water Mercury
Bulk modulus and the compressibility modulus
The pressure due to a fluid pressing in on an object tends to compress the object.
The ratio of the increase in pressure ΔP to the fractional decrease in volume - (ΔV/V) is
called the bulk modulus.

The compressibility modulus is the reciprocal of bulk

 P
   V modulus (1/B)
V

Liquids and solids are relatively incompressible, they have large values of B.
On the other way, the density of liquid and solids is relatively constant with
pressure changes
Gases are easily compressed and the values of B are strongly dependent on
pressure changes. The density of gases depends strongly of pressure
changes, besides of changes in temperature.
Vapour Pressure
● Vapour pressure is the partial pressure produced by fluid vapour
in an open or a closed container, which reaches its saturated
condition or the transfer of fluid molecules is at equilibrium along
its free surface.
● In a closed container, the vapour pressure is solely dependent on
temperature. In a saturated condition, any further reduction in
temperature or atmospheric pressure below its dew point will
lead to the formation of water droplets.
● On the other hand, boiling occurs when the absolute fluid
pressure is reduced until it is lower than the vapour pressure of
the fluid at that temperature.
● For a network of pipes, the pressure at a point can be lower than
the vapour pressure, for example, at the suction section of a
pump. Otherwise, vapour bubbles will start to form and
this phenomenon is termed as cavitation.
 Basic Unit System & Units
The SI system consists of six primary units, from which
all quantities may be described but in fluid mechanics we
are generally only interested in the top four units from this
table.

Derived Units
There are many derived units all obtained from combination of the above
primary units. Those most used are shown in the table below:
Derived Units

A.N.KHUDAIWALA (L.M.E) G.P.PORBANDAR