MAE552-CBE501 Viscous Flows and Boundary Layers

Spring 2015

Description: The principles of fluid mechanics are applicable to a wide range of problems in
engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, and the earth and planetary sciences. MAE552CBE501 is a one-semester introductory graduate course in fluid dynamics, which introduces and
develops the fundamental principles in a manner useful for applications in these varied
disciplines where fluid motions occur on length scales from the size of a cell to atmospheric
scales and beyond. The governing partial differential equations describing fluid motion will be
derived from first principles using standard vector and tensor notation and most of the
subsequent discussion will be given to Newtonian fluids. Emphasis will be placed on developing
a physical understanding of each of the fundamental ideas introduced. The course includes a
discussion of basic continuum mechanics, exact solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations,
dimensional analysis and similarity solutions, lubrication theory for flows characterized by two
disparate length scales, flows at low and high Reynolds numbers, and laminar boundary-layer
theory. Depending on time we may discuss briefly elements of rheology, the influence of surface
tension, flows in rotating systems, waves, and turbulence. Differential equations are the
language of the mathematical side of the course.
Instructor: Professor Howard A. Stone, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
D216; hastone@princeton.edu, 8-9493
AI: Suin Shim, office: basement of G-wing; email: sshim@princeton.edu
Class meeting times: A tentative schedule is indicated below. The normal class meeting time is
Monday and Wednesday 8:30-9:50 am. There will be occasional make-up lectures on Fridays
8:30-9:50 am. Also, the Friday time slot will be used occasionally for optional problem-solving
sessions, reviews of useful mathematics, etc. as indicated. The detailed calendar for the class is
given below.
Homework: Homework will be assigned approximately every one or two weeks (I expect that
there will be 8 assignments). The homework is due at 5 pm of the date indicated. The tentative
distribution and due dates are indicated in the table below. The only ground rules are that you
may not consult solutions from past years and the work you turn in must be your own. You
are encouraged to talk with other students, the teaching fellow, and the instructor. On occasion it
will be necessary to utilize a computer to plot solutions or assist with evaluation of functions:
Mathematica, Maple or Matlab may be useful here.
Film series in fluid mechanics: I have also listed about when you should watch a movie
(typically 30 minutes in length and available online) from an outstanding fluid mechanics film
series. These films are excellent supplements and helpful for building physical intuition. The fluid
dynamics films are available on the web at http://web.mit.edu/hml/ncfmf.html; film notes can also be
accessed there. Although made in the 1960s these films are excellent instructional materials.

Suggested reading: A separate document provides suggested reading for each of the topics in
the course. For most of the topics I will distribute my own notes.
1

Fluid Mechanics DVD: Multimedia Fluid Mechanics DVD-ROM (2nd edition), edited by G.M.
Homsy and colleagues. I encourage you to buy this DVD (about $25-35) from an on-line source.
The outline below includes references to the DVD where its presentation is complementary to
the course material.
Reading Period: Begins Monday, 4 May, and ends on Tuesday, 12 May. A take-home, timelimited, final exam will be given during Reading Period.
Final exam: The final will be a take-home exam to be completed during Reading Period. I
expect that 7 hours will be allowed and you will be on the honor code to take the exam on your
own time and according to the rules indicated by me and on the exam. The exam will be
distributed Wednesday, 6 May at 9 am and will be due no later than Friday, May 8 at 5 pm.
Grading: 50% homework and 50% take-home final exam

Outline/Schedule (DRAFT)
Week /Theme

Lecture /Date

Main topics

1/Overview,
dimensional
analysis, vector
calculus review
optional

1/ Mon 2 Feb

Admin, introduction; why

fluid mechanics; review of
vector calculus + brief intro
to tensors;
Review of vector and tensor
calculus
Dimensional analysis; massspring-damper example

Wed. 4 Feb
2/Fri. 6 Feb

2/Introduction
to conservation
laws and mass
conservation

3/Linear and
angular
momentum and
kinematics

4/Finish
governing eqns,
simplifications

5/Exact
solutions and
model flows

3/Mon 9 Feb

Eulerian and Lagrangian

descriptions, material
derivative; 1D conservation
laws

4/Wed 11 Feb

Mass conservation and more

about the material derivative
Stress tensor, Cauchy
equation for linear
momentum

5/Fri 13 Feb

BEFORE CLASS:
Watch film Eulerian
and Lagrangian
descriptions in fluid
mechanics HW#1 due;
distribute HW#2

17-49,
142-150

134-140,
142-158,
495-520

Angular momentum;
kinematics: rate of strain,
vorticity and interpretation

HW#2 due; distribute

HW#3

7/Fri 20 Feb

Constitutive equations

Watch the film

Rheological behavior
of fluids

8/Mon 23 Feb

Elementary rheology; read:

Energy equation, summary
of governing equations
Rectilinear +steady channel
flows, Reynolds # for
laminar to turbulent
transition
AI runs review of Fourier
series
Time-dependent flows:
Start-up of pipe flows;
impulsive motion of a plate
Oscillations: Oscillatory
translation of a plane;
oscillatory pipe flow (brief)

9/Wed 25 Feb

10/Mon 2 Mar
11/Wed 4 Mar

12/Mon 9 Mar

Introduction to the
3

DVD
pages

6/Mon 16 Feb

Fri. 27 Feb.

6/More exact
solutions; begin
lubrication
approximation

Other: Optional but

recommended
Distribute HW#1; to be
arranged: additional time
to review vectors and
tensors
Can study handout from
Prof. Stone
Watch the film
Surface tension in
fluid mechanics

HW#3 due; distribute

HW#4
To be arranged: review
of ODEs, Fourier series
Precept, Fri 27 Feb:
examples of model flows

Watch the film Low

173-218,
939-943

lubrication approximation;
scaling of various terms;
slider bearing
7/Lubrication
approximation
examples

Spring Break
8/ Low
Reynolds
number flows

9/ Potential
flows

13/Wed 11
Mar

Journal bearing; sphere near

a plane; applications

14/Fri 13 Mar

Spreading thin films, selfsimilar solutions

Precept, Fri 29 Mar:

examples of the
lubrication
approximation

16-20 Mar
15/Mon 23
Mar

low Re # flows I

HW#5 due Wed;

distribute HW#6;
Precept, Wed 25 Mar:
low Re # examples

16/Fri 27 Mar

low Re # flows II

17/Fri 3 Apr

Finish low Re # flows

18/Mon 6 Apr

Introduction to potential
theory; Bernoulli equations
Applications of the
Bernoulli eqn; added mass

HW#6 due; distribute

HW#7

Introduction to boundary
layer theory; basic scaling
and orders of magnitude;
analogies with heat and
mass transfer
Blasius solution and related
ideas

Watch the film

Pressure fields and
fluid acceleration

Further examples of
boundary layers with
pressure gradients
Boundary layers with
buoyancy effects

Watch the film

Fundamentals of
boundary layers
Watch the film
Vorticity Part 1(there
is also part 2)
HW#8 due Fri 24 Apr

19/Wed 8 Apr
10/ Boundary
layers (viscous
effects in
narrow regions)

20/Mon 13
Apr

21/Wed 15
Apr
11/ Further
examples

22/Fri 17 Apr
23/Mon 20
Apr

12/ Introduction
to turbulent
flows

Reynolds number
hydrodynamics
HW#4 due; distribute
HW#5

24/Wed 22
Apr

Turbulent flows;
Kolmogorov and scaling
arguments

25/Wed 29
Apr

Tentative: More on turbulent

flows; pipe flow

HW#7 due; distribute

HW#8

Fri, 1 May review of

main ideas in the course;
HW#9 due Mon 4 May

Note: Reading period begins Monday, 4 May; the last day of reading period is Tuesday, May 12.

270-300,
910, 943

603-637

Lecture breakdown (tentative): 24-25 lectures total

Introductory material and ideas:
2 lectures; HW#1
Derivation of governing equations: 6 lectures; HW#2, 3
Exact solutions:
3 lectures; HW#4
Lubrication approximation:
3 lectures; HW#5
Low Re # flows:
3 lectures; HW#6
Potential theory:
2 lectures; HW#7
Laminar boundary layers:
4 lectures; HW#8
Turbulent flows:
1-2 lectures

Course Objectives
Please read the opening paragraph of the course syllabus, which provides some of the motivation
for taking a course on fluid mechanics. Students completing this course should
Develop physical intuition for different flow phenomena, understand qualitatively how flows
vary according to the magnitude of the Reynolds number for both typical external and internal
flows, and be able to offer basic mathematical models for the important physical quantities, e.g.
laminar channel flow, lubrication, potential flow, laminar boundary layers, etc.
In particular, students should be able to
1. Apply the principles of dimensional analysis to characterize common flow problems;
2. Describe/write/explain the main aspects of the phenomena in terms of the Navier-Stokes
and continuity equations;
3. Describe and explain the pressure and velocity distributions for typical flows;
4. Simplify the Navier-Stokes equations to obtain the lubrication approximation appropriate
for laminar flows with slowly varying geometries, and characterize the approximations
justifying the use of this solution approach;
5. Describe orders of magnitude and typical velocity and pressure distributions for standard
low Reynolds number flow problems;
6. Describe orders of magnitude and typical velocity and pressure distributions for standard
potential flow and high Reynolds number flow problems, including the use of the
appropriate form of the Bernoulli equation;
7. Solve standard problems where the boundary-layer approximation is appropriate, and
characterize the approximations justifying the use of this solution approach;
8. Sketch flow separation and changes expected for high Reynolds number flows;
9. Contrast velocity distributions for typical laminar versus turbulent flows;
10. In all cases where scaling laws are known, be able to rationalize the form of these scaling
laws from the Navier-Stokes equations and from physical arguments.