PATHLINE, STREAKLINE,

STREAMLINES AND
VELOCITY PROFILES
Dr Uditha Ratnayake
Room 1F.102
Tel Ext 5255
uditha.ratnayake@itb.edu.bn

Fluid in Motion
When a fluid flows around

bodies such as aircraft the

shape of the boundaries, the
externally applied forces and
the fluid properties cause the
velocities of the fluid particles
to vary from point to point
throughout the flow field.
The geometry of the motion of
fluid particles in space and time
is known as the kinematics of
the fluid motion
In order to make fluids work for
us efficiently we need to
understand the kinematics
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Two ways to look at a

fluid
While moving with the flow

While being stationary

Lagrangian & Eulerian

View

Lagrangian
Velocity depends on the position vector
Considers individual fluid particles
Therefore to view a fluid field, equations

for all particles must be solved

Eg. Observer does not see changes with
time if he stands on a boat sailing in sea.
Relative to boat water flow pattern does
not change

Eulerian
Velocity of a particle depends on both

space and time

This can be used to describe the particles
moving past a specific point in space
Majority of fluid analysis use this method
Eg. Observer see changes happening with
time. When the boat moves waves and
flow in front of him changes
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Flow Visualization
Let us take the Eulerian view of the flow
We can:
Look at the path taken by a particle
Look at the particles which goes through a
specific point
Speed and direction of the flow
We draw lines on a flow to indicate each of

the above observations and they are called

Flow Patterns
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One, Two or Three-dimensional Flow

In general, all fluids flow three-dimensionally,

with pressures and velocities and other flow

properties varying in all directions.

In many cases the greatest changes only

occur in two directions or even only in one.

In these cases changes in the other direction

can be effectively ignored making analysis

much more simple.

1-D Flow
Flow is one dimensional if the flow parameters
(such as velocity, pressure, depth etc.) at a given
instant in time only vary in the direction of flow
and not across the cross-section. The parameter
vary in time but still not across the cross-section.
An example of one-dimensional flow is the flow in
a pipe.
There are parameter changes across cross-section.
Should this be treated as two-dimensional flow?
Possibly - but it is only necessary if very high
accuracy is required. A correction factor is then
usually applied.
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2-D & 3-D Flow

Flow is two-dimensional if it can be assumed that

the flow parameters vary in the direction of flow

and in one direction at right angles to this
direction. Usually in the horizontal direction.
Example is the flow over a airfoil
Flow is three-dimensional if the flow parameters
vary in all three direction of flow with same
degree of severity.
All real problems are 3-D. But analysis is
complicated and time consuming.
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Back to Flow
Visualisation
Basic requirement to study the kinematics of

fluid flow is to visualize the flow patterns

We look at three different flow patterns
Pathlines
Streaklines
Streamlines

Pathline
The pathline of a fluid element is simply the

path it takes through space as time passes.

An example of a pathline is the trajectory
taken by one puff of smoke which is carried by
the wind. t
0

t3

t1

t2

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Equation of a pathline
; ; W

Integrating above equation for a

given time interval produces the

position variables of a particle with
time

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Streakline
All fluid particles which pass through a

particular point P are said to form the

streakline of point P.
An example of a streakline is the continuous
line of smoke emitted by a chimney

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Equation of a streakline
A streakline is formed by a series of particles

each with its own pathline. The equation is

obtained by the series of pathline equations
with same initial position and different T0
values.
Pathline A
Particle A
Point
in the
Fluid

Pathline B

Particle B
Streakline
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Streamline
This is the line drawn through fluid particles

which have same velocity so that always the

velocity direction is tangential to the line.

It is also important to recognize that the

position of streamlines can change with time

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Some things to know

about streamlines
Because the fluid is moving in the same

direction as the streamlines, fluid can not

cross a streamline.

Streamlines can not cross each other. If they

were to cross this would indicate two different

velocities at the same point. This is not
physically possible.

The above point implies that any particles of

fluid starting on one streamline will stay on

that same streamline throughout the fluid.

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Equation of a streamline
Along a streamline the displacement and the

velocity are parallel. Therefore the vector

cross product of the velocity and the
displacement is zero.
Following equation can be developed for the
3-D

For 1-D i&j unit vectors are zero; i.e.

Integrating this will yield the equation of the

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Streamtubes
A useful technique in fluid flow analysis is to

consider only a part of the total fluid in

isolation from the rest.

This can be done by imagining a tubular

surface formed by streamlines along which the

fluid flows.

This tubular surface is known as a streamtube.

In a two-dimensional flow, we have a

streamtube which is flat (in the plane of the

paper).
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Streamtube
The "walls" of a streamtube are

made of streamlines.
As we have seen above, fluid
cannot flow across a streamline,
so fluid cannot cross a
streamtube wall.
The streamtube can often be
viewed as a solid walled pipe.
But a streamtube is not a pipe it differs because the "wall" can
move with the fluid.
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Steady and unsteady

flows
Steady flow does not change with time;

Unsteady flow changes with time;

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Uniform and Non-uniform

flow
Uniform flow does not change with space

(distance);

Non-uniform flow changes with space;

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Flow characteristic
In a uniform steady flow:
The
Pathline
Streakline
Streamline
Coincide and form a single line

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Mean flow velocity &

discharge
Let the dischrge through a given flow cross

section be Q
Then
Q = A x Vm
Where, Vm is the mean velocity.
The actual velocity within the cross section
varies from point to point.

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Typical velocity profile

The velocity adjacent to a boundary or a wall

is always zero as there is no shear.

In a pipe the typical velocity profile is;
The mean velocity Um and the
maximum velocity Umax are
different.
The profile has a symmetrical
parabolic shape

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