1 Introduction

ME2134

Fluid Mechanics I
1

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Introduction

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Organisation

This 4-MC module will be taught by

Nhan Phan-Thien, 12 Aug 20 Sept (6 weeks)
Rm EA-02-01 Tel: 6601-2054
[email protected]
TT Lim, 23 Sept end of Sem 1
3 hrs of lectures per week, Monday 10-12pm, Tues 12-1pm
Tutorials start from 3rd week, 26 Aug, every 2nd week, Tutors: Nhan
Phan-Thien, Seyed Mohammad Hasheminejad & Kang Kean Lee
2 labs from 3rd week, 26 Aug, Shu Chang & R Jaiman (20% final mark)
Final exam (80%)
Lab reports are VERY important!
E-Learning 5th week, 9 Sept online lectures & tutorials (more info
on this later)

You are an engineering in-training self discipline, time

management
ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

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Outline of Contents

Introduction
Fluid Properties
Fluid Statics
Fluid Dynamics
Equilibrium of Moving Fluids
Momentum and its Applications
Dimensional Analysis and Similitude
Analysis of Pipe Flows
Main Ideas Will Be Tagged KEY IDEA

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References
Lots of suitable references, take your pick:

M.C. Potter and D.C. Wiggert Mechanics of Fluids, 2nd ed.,

Prentice-Hall International, 1997

A.J. Smits A Physical Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, John

Wiley, 2000

V.L. Streeter, E.B. Wylie and K.W. Bedford Fluid Mechanics, 9th
ed., McGraw Hill, 1998

F.M. White Fluid Mechanics, 6th ed., McGraw Hill, 2008

The supplied lecture notes & tutorials may be sufficient

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Introduction

1 Introduction

Learning Objectives
To understand:
the concept of a fluid
the wide scope of fluid mechanics
the concept of a continuum

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Introductory Remarks
What is a fluid?
Solid can support a (shear) stress acting on its surfaces fluid or
gas deform (flow) continuously and permanently
Solid can hold its shape independently of its container a fluid
will occupy a definite volume in the container, whereas a gas fills
up the whole container volume; when there are gases & liquids
present the surfaces separate the two phases are called free
surfaces

KEY IDEAS: fluids cannot support a shear stress

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Introductory Remarks

Fluid Mechanics is the study of the behaviour of fluids at rest (fluid

statics) or in motion (fluid dynamics)
Fluid Mechanics can be divided into several categories:
Hydrodynamics: study of flows of incompressible fluids (water,
gases at low speeds)
Hydraulics: study of liquid flows in pipes and open channels
Gas dynamics: study of flows of gases
Aerodynamics: study of flow of gases (air) over bodies (aircraft,
rockets, automobiles) at low and high speeds
Meteorology
Oceanography
Hydrology

Naturally occurring flows

Rheology or viscoelastic fluid mechanics: study of flows and

deformation the focus is on non-Newtonian fluids
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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Why study Fluid Mechanics?
Fluids are essential to our everyday lives
Air and water are two very important fluids:
~70% of human body is made up of water
~70% of earths surface is covered by
water
~90% of earths atmosphere extends to an
altitude of 16 km above earths surface

Red Blood Cells

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Earth

Earths atmopshere

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Flight Vehicle Aerodynamics ME4231

Aircraft water tunnel dye flow visualization

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Low Speed Aerodynamics ME4231
Ernst Mach (18381916)

M U /c
Aerofoil at low angle of attack

Smoke flow visualization of

wing tip vortices
ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Aerofoil at high angle of attack

Wing tip vortices

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
High Speed Aerodynamics ME3232, ME4231

M U /c
Bullet at Mach 1.5

Airplane model at Mach 1.1

Sphere (Mach 1.53) Sphere (Mach 5.7)

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

F/A-18 Hornet

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Ground Vehicle Aerodynamics

Wind tunnel testing of car

Flow pattern behind car

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Flow pattern around bus

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Sports Aerodynamics

Flow over cricket ball

Flow over golf ball

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Flow over bicycle

Flow over tennis ball

Flow over swimmer

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Building Aerodynamics

Wind tunnel testing of buildings

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Flow past circular cylinder

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Marine / Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture,
Hydrodynamics

Cargo ship

Ships and water waves

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Submarine
Computer simulations

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Fluid Machinery ME2135

Pump impellers

Pelton wheel

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Turbine

Wind turbine

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Aerospace Propulsion ME4231

Jet engine for commercial aircraft

Rocket propulsion

Jet engine for fighter aircraft

SR-71

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1.2
Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Marine Propulsion

Marine propeller

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Computer simulation of marine propeller

Cavitation in marine propellers

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Chemically Reacting Flows and Combustion

Flames

Flame structure
ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Detonation waves

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1.2
Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Civil Engineering Applications

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Canals

Aqueducts

Dams

Drainage Systems

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics: Atmosphere / Weather

Hurricane

Global climate
ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Waterspout

Tornado

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics: Ocean circulation, Tsunamis

Circulation system of the ocean

Ocean surface wind

Tsunamis
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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Environmental Fluid Mechanics

Atmospheric pollution

River pollution and sedimentation

Plume dispersion

Pollutant sedimentation and

dispersion

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Bio-Fluid Mechanics

Carotid bifurcation models with stenosis

Blood flow through damaged artery

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Flow through a bifurcation model

Computer simulation of blood flow

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Animal Locomotion: Flight of Birds, Bats

Wing tunnel testing of birds

Wind tunnel testing of bat

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Formation flight of birds

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Animal Locomotion: Insect Flight

Wind tunnel testing of dragonfly

Robotic fly
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Tethered fly

Computer simulation of insect flight

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Animal Locomotion: Swimming

Fish swimming

Animal locomotion
ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

Robo-tuna

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Applications of Fluid Mechanics
Piping Systems and other Industrial Applications ME2134

Pipe network

Oil refinery

Water pipeline

Computer simulation of pipe flow

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Microfluidics

Applications of Fluid Mechanics

Microengine

Microrocket

Integrated microfluidic bioprocessor

Inkjet printer

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State of stresses on a fluid surface
Recall: Stress force per unit area
Fluid at rest normal stress is called pressure
Key Idea: Pressure is
force normal to surface

Key Idea: Shear stress

is force tangential
to surface

nn
tn
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What is a Fluid?
What distinguishes a solid from a fluid?
A fluid is a substance which deforms continuously when
acted on by a shear stress of any magnitude

tn G ; G :shear modulus

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A Solid
Robert Hooke (1635-1703)
Ut tensio sic vis

tn G ; G :shear modulus

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What is a Fluid?

FLUID
Continuous
deformation

Sir Isaac Newton16421727)

d
dt
: viscosity

tn

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Summary
A solid deforms when a shear stress is applied, but its
deformation does not continue to increase with respect
to time
Deformation of fluid element continues to increase as
long as shear force is applied to upper plate
Key Idea: Hookean solids: tn G (G: shear
modulus)

d
, : viscosity
Key Idea: Newtonian fluids: tn
dt
&

d d x dx u


dt dt y y dt y

is known as the rate of

shearing strain or strain rate

Any fluid that does not obey the Newtonian law is called
non-Newtonian fluid (or simply viscoelastic fluid)
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Non-Newtonian Fluids
A fluid deforms continuously and permanently under the application
of a shearing stress, however small

This definition does not address how fast the shearing force is
applied, relative to the response time (relaxation time) of the fluid
varies from ~10-13 s (water) to ~103 s (polymer solutions and
melts). With this new physical constant one has a new
dimensionless group, called the Deborah number

De

T is the observation time scale (experimental time span)

The mountains flowed before the Lord Deborah
Everything is in the state of flux - Confucius

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Non-Newtonian Fluids

De

There is no clear distinction between fluids and solids its a matter

of time scales
When De<<1, one has a (Newtonian) liquid-like behaviour
When De>>1, a solid-like behaviour
A non-Newtonian, or viscoelastic fluid for 0 < De <
Key Idea: Low De: fluid-like, large De: solid-like behaviour

When one must walk on water, one has

to walk very, very fast!

Rheology is the study of flow and deformation

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Fluid as a Continuum

In almost all Fluid Mechanics applications, it is

convenient to disregard the molecular nature of the fluid;
instead we consider the fluid to be a continuous,
homogeneous medium (continuum assumption)
We can take a volume V of fluid and shrink this volume
down to infinitesimally small in size, and yet the fluid in
this volume still have a definite property, down to a
mathematical point
Key Idea: Continuum assumption
Each fluid property is assumed to have a definite
value at every point in space
Breaks down when size of system is comparable to
mean free path of molecules
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1.4
Density

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Fluid as a Continuum

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Fluid as a Continuum
V < V* too few molecules to yield statistically
meaningful value for
V must be sufficiently large to yield statistically
meaningful and reproducible result for and yet small
enough to be regarded as a point
V* 10-9 mm3 for all liquids and for all gases at
atmospheric pressure (mean free path of typical gases)3
Density at point C thus defined as

m
lim
V V V
*

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Fluid as a Continuum

Physical volumes much larger than 10-9 mm3 in most

engineering problems density is essentially a point function
fluid properties assumed to vary continuously throughout
fluid continuum
Continuum assumption is valid as long as characteristic
length of system is much larger than mean free path of
molecules
With continuum assumption, the variations in fluid properties
are smooth so that differential calculus can be used
A fluid particle is a collection of a sufficiently large number of
fluid molecules such that the continuum assumption is valid,
but it is also small enough to be regarded as a point

ME2134 Fluid Mechanics I

https://engineering.purdue.edu/~wassgren/applet/java/continuum/Index.html

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