HYDRAULICS

FACT SHEET 1
DEFINITION OF HYDRAULICS
-

a branch of science and technology that deals with the practical application
(as with the conveyance of liquids through pipes and channels, especially as
a source of mechanical force or control.

PROPERTIES OF FLUIDS
Fluid is any substance which deforms continuously, or flows, when subjected
to shear stress. The term includes both gases and liquids.
::
(In
Hydraulics
however, we shall only
deal
with
liquids,
particularly Newtonian
Liquids liquids having
linear
relationship
between shear stress
and
rate
of
deformation.)

ENGINEERING UNITS
All Hydraulic Problems will be based on a the
Modern Metric System:
SI Units (Systme International d'Units)
Mass
kilogram (kg)
Length
meters (m)
Time
second (s)
Force
newton (N)
Work
joule (J)
Power
watt (W)

MASS DENSITY and SPECIFIC WEIGHT

For all Fluids, the basic reference for the determination of the Mass density
and Specific Weight is Water at standard temperature of 4 oC.
Mass Density () the mass of a substance per unit volume.
Specific Weight () the force exerted by the Earths gravity upon a unit volume of
a substance.
RELATIVE DENSITY (RD)
Is the ratio of a substance mass density with that of water at standard
temperature and pressure (atmospheric pressure). Mostly referred to as the
Specific Gravity (SG).

TEMPERATU
RE
o
C
0
4
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100

DENSITY
(kg/m3)
999.8
1000
999.7
998.2
995.7
992.2
988.1
983.2
977.8
971.8
965.3
958.4

SPECIFIC
WEIGHT
(kN/m3)
9.806
9.807
9.804
9.789
9.765
9.731
9.69
9.642
9.589
9.53
9.467
9.399

VISCOSITY OF FLUIDS
The Property of Fluids of which due to its cohesive property and interlocking
mechanism between its molecules offers resistance to shear deformation.
Though all fluids are considered viscous, different fluids deform at different
rates under the action of the same shear stress.
Newtonian Fluids obey the linear relationship,

du
dy

,where

du
dy

velocity gradient

shear stress
coefficient of absolute or dynamic viscosity

Absolute Viscosity () is measured in kg/m-s. A smaller unit of is Poise,

where 1 poise = 1 gm/cm-s and 1 kg/m-s = 10 poises.
Kinematic Viscosity () is the ratio of the dynamic viscosity to mass density
expressed in m2/s. A smaller unit of is stoke where 1 stoke = 1 cm2/s and 1 m2/s
= 104 stokes.

For Water at 20 oC: = 10-3 N-s/m2, = 10-6 m2/s.

COMPRESSIBILITY AND ELASTICITY OF FLUIDS
All fluids are compressible under the application of external force and when
the force is removed they expand back to their original volume exhibiting the
property that stress is proportional to volumetric strain.
Bulk Modulus of
Elasticity (E)

(109 Pa, N/m2)

Acetone
Benzene
Carbon Tetrachloride
Ethyl Alcohol
Gasoline
Glycerin
ISO 32 mineral oil
Kerosene
Mercury
Paraffin Oil
Petrol
Phosphate ester
SAE 30 Oil
Seawater
Sulfuric Acid
Water
Water - glycol
Water in oil emulsion

0.92
1.05
1.32
1.06
1.3
4.35
1.8
1.3
28.5
1.66
1.07 - 1.49
3
1.5
2.34
3
2.15
3.4
2.3