Introduction of Fluid

Mechanics

Dr R. Nishanthan
Contents

• Basic definitions
• Fluid Vs Solid
• No Slip condition
• Applications
• Classification of Fluid flows
• Properties of fluids
• Mechanics – concerned with the motion of bodies under the action
of forces, including the special case in which a body remains at rest.

• Statics - the subdivision of mechanics that is concerned with the

forces that act on bodies at rest under equilibrium conditions

• Dynamics – dealing with the bodies in motion

• Fluid mechanics – Deals with the behaviour of fluids at rest or in

motion and the interaction with the solids

• Fluid dynamics – fluids in motion. Fluid statics is a special case when

velocity is zero
• Hydrodynamics – Motion of the fluids that can be approximated as
incompressible

• Hydraulics – sub-category of hydrodynamics dealing with flow in

pipes and open channels

• Gas dynamics – deals with flow of fluids that undergo significant

density changes

• Aero dynamics – Deals with flow of gases over a bodies such as

aircraft and automobiles

• Oceanography & Hydrology – Deals with naturally occurring flows

 Stresses
• The component of force acting normal to
the area called normal force and is
denoted by δFn
Normal and Tangential Forces on a
• The component of force acting along the surface
plane of area is called tangential force
and is denoted by δFt

• Normal stress –

• Shear stress –
What is fluid?
• A fluid is a substance that deforms continuously in the face of
tangential or shear stress, irrespective of the magnitude of shear
stress .This continuous deformation under the application of shear
stress constitutes a flow.
• In this connection fluid can also be defined as the state of matter
that cannot sustain any shear stress.

Shear stress on a fluid body

 Newton's Parallel Plate Experiment
• The experimental observation that the fluid “sticks” to the solid boundaries is a very
important one in fluid mechanics and is usually referred to as the no-slip condition. All
fluids, both liquids and gases, satisfy this condition.

• Shear strain is a function not only of the force P which governs U but also of time. But
for solids shear stress is proportional to strain.
• A continuation of this experiment would reveal that as the shearing stress 𝝉, is
increased by increasing P, the rate of shearing strain is increased in direct
proportion.

• for common fluids such as water, oil, gasoline, and air,

 Distinction Between Solid and Fluid

Solid Fluid
More Compact Structure Less Compact Structure
Attractive Forces between the molecules Attractive Forces between the molecules
are larger therefore more closely packed are smaller therefore more loosely
packed
Solids can resist tangential stresses in Fluids cannot resist tangential stresses in
static condition static condition.
Whenever a solid is subjected to shear Whenever a fluid is subjected to shear
stress stress
• It undergoes a definite • No fixed deformation
deformation α or breaks • Continuous deformation takes
• α is proportional to shear stress place until the shear stress is
upto some limiting condition applied
Solid may regain partly or fully its original A fluid can never regain its original shape,
shape when the tangential stress is once it has been distorded by the shear
removed stress
Concept of Continuum

• study the behavior of individual molecules is not practical

• average is evaluated over a small volume containing a large number
of molecules.
• average distance between molecules << the volume << physical
dimensions of the system of interest
• The number of molecules per cubic millimeter is on the order of 1018
for gases and 1021 for liquids
• at very high altitudes the spacing between air molecules can become
large and the continuum concept is no longer acceptable
Applications
• Natural flows and weather
• Pipe system
• Cars
• Aircraft and spacecraft
• Human Body
• Power plant
• Boats and ships
• Wind turbines
Properties of fluid

• Mass
• Density
• Specific gravity
• Unit weight
• Specific volume
• Absolute Viscosity
• Kinematic viscosity
• Compressibility
• Vapour pressure
• Surface tension
Example 1

If 5 m3 of certain oil weighs 45 kN calculate the specific weight, specific gravity

and mass density of the oil.

A liquid has a mass density of 1550 kg/m3. Calculate its specific weight, specific
gravity and specific volume.
Viscosity
• In a flow of fluid, when the fluid elements move with different
velocities, each element will feel some resistance due to fluid
friction within the elements.
• shear stresses can be identified between the fluid elements with
different velocities
• According to Newton,
Units of viscosity ( Apparent/Absolute/ dynamic)

• Units: newton seconds per square metre (N s m-2)

• kilograms per metre per second (kg m-1 s-1)

• coefficient of viscosity is often measured in poise

(P); 10 P = 1 kg m-1 s-1.)
Units of kinematic viscosity

• Units: newton seconds per square metre (m2 s-1)

• often measured in strokes (St); 104 St = 1 m2 s-1.)

Newtonian fluids.

• Fluids for which the shearing stress is linearly related to the rate of shearing
Strain
Non - Newtonian fluids
Non-Newtonian fluids

• Paints, different polymer solution, blood do not obey the

typical linear relationship, of τ and du/dy and are known
as non-Newtonian fluids.
• shear thinning fluids – paints
• shear thickening fluids - apparent viscosity increases with
increasing shear rate Eg water–corn starch mixture
• Bingham plastic, which is neither a fluid nor a solid. Such
material can withstand a finite, nonzero shear stress, yield,
the yield stress, without motion therefore, it is not a fluid, but
once the yield stress is exceeded it flows like a fluid.
Toothpaste and mayonnaise are common examples.
Example

• A plate (2m x 2m ), 0.25 mm distant apart from a fixed plate,

moves at 40 cm/s and requires a force of 1 N. Determine the
dynamic viscosity of the fluid in between the plates.

• At a certain point in an oil the shear stress is 0.2 N/m2 and the
velocity gradient is 0.21 s-1 . If the mass density of the oil is 950
kg/ m3 find the kinematic viscosity.
• A plate (2m x 2m ), 0.25 mm distant apart from a fixed plate,
moves at 40 cm/s and requires a force of 1 N. Determine the
dynamic viscosity of the fluid in between the plates.
Example
As shown in the figure a cubical block of 20 cm side and of 20 kg
weight is allowed to slide down along a plane inclined at 300 to the
horizontal on which there is a film of oil having viscosity 2.16x10-
3 N-s/m2 .What will be the terminal velocity of the block if the film
thickness is 0.025mm?
Example

• If the equation of a velocity profile over a plate

is v=5y2+y (where v is the velocity in m/s) determine the shear
stress at y =0 and at y =7.5cm . Given the viscosity of the liquid
is 8.35 poise.
A poise is the centimetre-gram-second (cgs) unit of viscosity.

• A hydraulic lift consists of a 50 cm diameter ram and slides in a

cylinder of diameter 50.015 cm while the annular space is being
filled up with oil having kinematic viscosity of 0.025cm2/s and
specific gravity of 0.85. If the rate of travel of the ram is
9.15m/min find the frictional resistance when 3.85 m of ram is
engaged in the cylinder.
Compressibility of Fluids

• Compressibility of any substance is the measure of its change in

volume under the action of external forces.
• bulk modulus

• Called as bulk modulus of elasticity

• Units
• E for liquids are very high as compared with those of gases

• E for water = 2 x 106 kN/m 2, E for air = 101 kN/m 2 at

atmospheric pressure
• compressibility K = 1/E
Surface Tension
• Cohesion : The force of attraction between the molecules of a
liquid by virtue of which they are bound to each other to remain
as one assemblage of particles is known as the force of
cohesion. This property enables the liquid to resist tensile
stress.
• Adhesion : The force of attraction between unlike molecules,
i.e. between the molecules of different liquids or between the
molecules of a liquid and those of a solid body when they are in
contact with each other, is known as the force of adhesion. This
force enables two different liquids to adhere to each other or a
liquid to adhere to a solid body or surface.

• the intensity of the molecular attraction per unit length along any line
in the surface is called the surface tension.
• forces develop in the liquid surface which cause the surface to behave as
if it were a “skin” or “membrane” stretched over the fluid mass.

• unbalanced cohesive forces acting on the liquid molecules at the fluid

surface
• a steel needle or a razor blade will float on water
• Water striders
The pressure inside a drop
Effect of capillary effect

cohesion < adhesion cohesion > adhesion

• an attraction (adhesion) between the wall of the tube and liquid

molecules
• mutual attraction (cohesion) of the molecule
• angle of contact is a function of both the liquid and the surface
• For water in contact with clean glass 𝜃 ≈ 0
• If 𝜃 < 90 wetting fluid Eg Water
• If 𝜃 > 90 non wetting fluid Eg Mercury 𝜃 ≈ 130
• Capillary rise

•
Example
Example

• A 12-mm-diameter jet of water discharges vertically into the

atmosphere. Due to surface tension the pressure inside the jet will
be slightly higher than the surrounding atmospheric pressure.
Determine this difference in pressure.
Example

• When a 2-mm-diameter tube is inserted into a liquid in an open tank,

the liquid is observed to rise 10 mm above the free surface of the
liquid. The contact angle between the liquid and the tube is zero, and
the specific weight of the liquid is 1.2 X 104 N/m3. Determine the
value of the surface tension for this liquid.
Vapour pressure an Cavitation

• Vapor pressure is the pressure at which a liquid boils and is in

equilibrium with its own vapor.
• If the pressure drop is due to temperature effects alone, the process
is called boiling.
• If the pressure drop is due to fluid velocity, the process is called
cavitation
• The dimensionless parameter describing flow-induced boiling is the
cavitation number
Variation of vapour pressure with
temperature
Example

• During a mountain climbing trip it is observed that the water used to

cook a meal boils at 90 °C rather than the standard 100 °C at sea
level. At what altitude are the climbers preparing their meal?
Example

• When water at 700 c flows through a converging section of pipe, the

pressure decreases in the direction of flow. Estimate the minimum
absolute pressure that can develop without causing cavitation.