ME 203 Mechanics of Fluids

INTRODUCTION
Mechanics: The oldest physical science that
deals with both stationary and moving
bodies under the influence of forces.
Statics: The branch of mechanics that
deals with bodies at rest.
Dynamics: The branch that deals with
bodies in motion.
Fluid mechanics: The science that deals
with the behavior of fluids at rest (fluid
statics) or in motion (fluid dynamics), and
the interaction of fluids with solids or other
fluids at the boundaries.
Fluid dynamics: Fluid mechanics is also
referred to as fluid dynamics by considering
fluids at rest as a special case of motion
with zero velocity.

Fluid mechanics deals with

liquids and gases in motion
or at rest.
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Hydrodynamics: The study of the motion of fluids that can

be approximated as incompressible (such as liquids,
especially water, and gases at low speeds).

Hydraulics: A subcategory of hydrodynamics, which deals

with liquid flows in pipes and open channels.
Gas dynamics: Deals with the flow of fluids that undergo
significant density changes, such as the flow of gases
through nozzles at high speeds.
Aerodynamics: Deals with the flow of gases (especially air)
over bodies such as aircraft, rockets, and automobiles at
high or low speeds.
Meteorology, oceanography, and hydrology: Deal with
naturally occurring flows.

Application Areas of Fluid Mechanics

Fluid dynamics is used extensively in

the design of artificial hearts.
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Course Objectives
To study the mechanics of fluid motion.
To establish fundamental knowledge of
basic fluid mechanics and address specific
topics relevant to simple applications
involving fluids
To familiarize students with the relevance of
fluid dynamics to many engineering systems

Syllabus
Fluid Properties,

Kinematics of fluid flow,

Fluid Statics,
Dynamics of fluid flow,

Concept of Boundary Layer,

Dimensional Analysis and
Hydraulic similitude

History

What is a Fluid?
Fluid: A substance in the liquid or
gas phase.
A solid can resist an applied shear
stress by deforming.
A fluid deforms continuously under
the influence of a shear stress, no
matter how small.
In solids, stress is proportional to
strain, but in fluids, stress is
proportional to strain rate.
When a constant shear force is
applied, a solid eventually stops
deforming at some fixed strain
angle, whereas a fluid never stops
deforming and approaches a
constant rate of strain.

Deformation of a rubber block placed

between two parallel plates under the
influence of a shear force. The shear
stress shown is that on the rubber
an equal but opposite shear stress
acts on the upper plate.
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Stress: Force per unit area.

Normal stress: The normal
component of a force acting on a
surface per unit area.
Shear stress: The tangential
component of a force acting on a
surface per unit area.
Pressure: The normal stress in a fluid
at rest.
Zero shear stress: A fluid at rest is at
a state of zero shear stress.
When the walls are removed or a
liquid container is tilted, a shear
develops as the liquid moves to reThe normal stress and shear stress at
establish a horizontal free surface.
the surface of a fluid element. For
fluids at rest, the shear stress is zero
and pressure is the only normal stress.
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In a liquid, groups of molecules can move relative to each other, but the
volume remains relatively constant because of the strong cohesive forces
between the molecules. As a result, a liquid takes the shape of the container it
is in, and it forms a free surface in a larger container in a gravitational field.
A gas expands until it encounters the walls of the container and fills the entire
available space. This is because the gas molecules are widely spaced, and the
cohesive forces between them are very small. Unlike liquids, a gas in an open
container cannot form a free surface.

Unlike a liquid, a gas

does not form a
free surface, and it
expands to fill the
entire available space.
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Intermolecular bonds are strongest in solids and weakest in gases.

Solid: The molecules in a solid are arranged in a pattern that is repeated
throughout.
Liquid: In liquids molecules can rotate and translate freely.
Gas: In the gas phase, the molecules are far apart from each other, and molecular
ordering is nonexistent.

The arrangement of atoms in different phases: (a) molecules are at relatively fixed
positions in a solid, (b) groups of molecules move about each other in the liquid
phase, and (c) individual molecules move about at random in the gas phase.
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Gas and vapor are often used as synonymous words.

Gas: The vapor phase of a substance is customarily called a gas when it is
above the critical temperature.
Vapor: Usually implies that the current phase is not far from a state of
condensation.
Macroscopic or classical approach: Does
not require a knowledge of the behavior
of individual molecules and provides a
direct and easy way to analyze
engineering problems.
Microscopic or statistical approach: Based
on the average behavior of large groups
of individual molecules.

On a microscopic scale, pressure is

determined by the interaction of
individual gas molecules. However,
we can measure the pressure on a
macroscopic scale with a pressure
gage.

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Fluid Properties

For practical use the Poise is normally too large and

the unit is often divided by 100 - into the smaller unit
centiPoise (cP) - where 1 p = 100 cP 1 cP = 0.01
poise = 0.001 Pascal second = 0.001 N s/m2
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Note that kinematic viscosity has the dimensions of a diffusion

coefficient. The kinematic viscosity is a measure of how rapidly
momentum diffuses into a flow.

SURFACE TENSION AND

CAPILLARY EFFECT
Interfaces
When phases exist together, the boundary between two of
them is known as an interface.
The properties of the molecules forming the interface are
often sufficiently different from those in the bulk of each
phase.
The term surface is used when referring to either a gas
solid or a gasliquid interface.

Liquid Interfaces

Molecules in the bulk

liquid are surrounded in
all directions by other
molecules for which they
have an equal attraction

Molecules at the surface

(i.e., at the liquidair
interface) can only develop
attractive cohesive forces
with other liquid molecules
that are situated below and
adjacent to them. They can
develop adhesive forces of
attraction
with
the
molecules constituting the
other phase involved in the
interface, although, in the
case of the liquidgas
interface, this adhesive
force of attraction is small.

SURFACE TENSION
The net effect is that the molecules at the surface of the liquid
experience an inward force toward the bulk.
Such a force pulls the molecules of the interface together and,
as a result, contracts the surface, resulting in a surface tension.

To keep the equilibrium, an equal force must be applied to

oppose the inward tension in the surface.

Thus SURFACE TENSION [s ] is the force per unit length that

must be applied parallel to the surface so as to counterbalance
the net inward pull and has the units of N/m or dyne/cm

Effects of surface tension: Capillarity

The capillarity phenomenon is due to the rise or depression of the
meniscus of the liquid due to the action of surface tension forces.
Capillary action in small tubes which involve a liquid-gas-solid interface is
caused by surface tension. The fluid is either drawn up the tube or pushed
down.
The curved free surface in the tube is call the meniscus. Water meniscus
curves up because water is a wetting fluid. Mercury meniscus curves
down because mercury is a non- wetting fluid

Effects of surface tension: Capillarity

The forces of attraction binding molecules to one another give rise to cohesion, the
tendency of the liquid to remain as one assemblage of particles rather than to behave as
a gas and fill the entire space within which it is confined.
On the other hand, forces between the molecules of a fluid and the molecules of a solid
boundary give rise to adhesion between the fluid and the boundary.

It is the interplay of these two forces that determine whether the liquid will wet the solid
surface of the container. If the adhesive forces are greater than the cohesive forces, then
the liquid will wet the surface; if vice versa, then the liquid will not.

It is rare that the attraction between molecules of the liquid exactly equals that between
molecules of the liquid and molecules of the solid and so the liquid surface near the
boundary becomes curved.
For R > in ( 7 mm), capillarity is negligible.

Effects of surface tension: Capillarity

The strength of the capillary effect is quantified by the contact (or
wetting) angle, defined as the angle that the tangent to the liquid
surface makes with the solid surface at the point of contact.

Force balance can describe magnitude of capillary rise.

Weight of fluid column = Surface tension pulling force.

Capillary rise is inversely proportional to the radius of the tube and density of
the liquid.

Pressure inside liquid droplet and

bubble:
P-pressure difference between inside and outside of the droplet or
bubble

Vapor Pressure
VAPOURISATION of an element or compound is a phase transition. From liquid
state to vapour.
Boiling and evaporation are the types of vapourisation.

Ordinary evaporation is a surface phenomenon - some molecules have enough

kinetic energy to escape. If the container is closed, an equilibrium is reached where
an equal number of molecules return to the surface. The pressure of this
equilibrium is called the saturation vapor pressure.

Evaporation Vs Boiling
Ordinary evaporation is a surface phenomenon - since the vapor pressure is low
and since the pressure inside the liquid is equal to atmospheric pressure plus the
liquid pressure, bubbles of water vapor cannot form.
But at the boiling point, the saturated vapor pressure is equal to atmospheric
pressure, bubbles form, and the vaporization becomes a volume phenomena.

The boiling point is defined as the temperature at which the saturated

vapor pressure of a liquid is equal to the surrounding atmospheric
pressure.

Evaporation Vs Boiling

CAVITATION
When the pressure of a liquid falls below the vapor pressure it evaporates, i.e.,
changes to a gas. 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.
Cavitation is common in regions of high velocity, i.e., low pressure such as on
turbine blades and marine propellers.
Cavitation can cause serious problems, since the flow of liquid can sweep this
cloud of bubbles on into an area of higher pressure where the bubbles will collapse
suddenly. If this should occur in contact with a solid surface, very serious damage
can result due to the very large force with which the liquid hits the surface
.

Cavitation can affect the performance of hydraulic machinery such as pumps,

turbines and propellers, and the impact of collapsing bubbles can cause local
erosion of metal surfaces.