MECE-210 Fluid Mechanics

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION AND BASIC
CONCEPTS

FALL 2024
 PROBLEM-SOLVING TECHNIQUE
The Problem-Solving approach used in Fluid Mechanics
is effectively the same as your other fundamental ME
courses (Statics, Thermo, Strengths, etc)
• Step 1: GIVEN
• Step 2: FIND
• Step 3: ASSUMPTIONS
• Step 4: SCHEMATIC
• Step 5: GOVERNING EQUATIONS
• Step 6: ANALYSIS (Solution)
• Step 7: FINAL ANSWER clearly identified
For each Homework Problem make sure you address
each of the 7 Steps above in your analysis of the
problem. Points will be deducted if any of the Steps are
missing in a solution.
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INTRODUCTION
Fluid Mechanics:

Fluid Dynamics:

fluid

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 What is a Fluid?
Fluid:

t0 fluid

A solid can resist an applied shear stress until its elastic limit is exceeded, at
which point it will deform.

The concept of fluid deformation will be studied further in “Fluid Kinematics”

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 Stresses associated with a Fluid: Stress= Force/Area
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. p = - σ

For fluids at rest, the shear stress

is zero and pressure is the only
normal stress.

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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.
Intermolecular bonds are strongest in solids and weakest in gases
Different Approaches to Study Fluids:
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. This is known as
the EULERIAN approach
 ”FIELD Approach” monitors a flow field at a fixed point over time …
consider a police speed trap

Microscopic or Statistical approach:

Based on the average behavior of large groups of individual molecules. This is
know as the LAGRANGIAN approach
 ”PARTICLE Approach” follows each particle through space and time …
consider police chasing a suspect car
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Some Application Areas of Fluid Mechanics

© Mlenny Photography/Getty Images RF

Wind turbines

© 123RF
Industrial applications

Photo by John M. Cimbala

Piping and plumbing systems

 Boats

Human body
© Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Blend Images LLC RF © Doug Menuez/Getty Images RF

Cars
Aircraft and spacecraft
Some Application Areas of Fluid Mechanics

© Ingram Publishing RF © Purestock/SuperStock/RF

Some Application Areas of Fluid Mechanics

Fluid dynamics is used extensively in the The Wright brothers take flight at
design of artificial hearts. Kitty Hawk.
Shown here is the Penn State Electric
Total Artificial Heart.

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Osborne Reynolds’ original apparatus for demonstrating the onset of
turbulence in pipes, being operated by John Lienhard at the University
of Manchester in 1975.

Reynolds Number:

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 Laminar versus Turbulent Flow

Re = 0.05 Re = 10 Re = 200 Re = 3000

Laminar flow: Low speed
flow characterized by smooth
layers of fluid. The flow of
high-viscosity fluids such as
oils is typically laminar.
Turbulent flow: High speed
flow with disordered fluid
motion that is characterized
by velocity fluctuations. The
flow of low-viscosity fluids
such as air at high velocities
is typically turbulent.

Transitional flow: A flow that alternates between being laminar and turbulent.

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 THE NO-SLIP CONDITION

Flow Visualization: The development of A fluid flowing over a stationary

a velocity profile due to the no-slip surface comes to a complete stop at
condition as a fluid flows over a blunt the surface because of the no-slip
nose. condition.
Uniform Flow Boundary layer: The
flow region adjacent
to the wall in which
the viscous effects
(and thus the velocity
gradients) are
MECE 210 significant.
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 CLASSIFICATION OF FLUID FLOWS
Viscous versus Inviscid Regions of Flow
Viscous flows: Flows in which the frictional effects are significant.
Inviscid flow regions: In many flows of practical interest, there are regions
(typically regions not close to solid surfaces) where viscous forces are
negligibly small compared to inertial or pressure forces.

Uniform Flow

Viscous Flow
Inviscid Flow

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 Internal versus External Flow
External flow: The flow of an unbounded fluid over a surface such
as a plate, or a pipe. Ex: External flow over a tennis ball, and the
turbulent wake region behind.

WAKE

Internal flow: The flow in a pipe or duct if the fluid is completely bounded by
solid surfaces. Ex: Fluid flow in a pipe.

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 Compressible versus Incompressible Flow
Incompressible flow: If the density of flowing fluid remains nearly
constant throughout (e.g., liquid flow).
Compressible flow: If the density of fluid changes during flow
(e.g., high-speed gas flow)

When analyzing rockets, spacecraft, and other systems that involve

high-speed gas flows, the flow speed is often expressed by

Mach Number:

Commonly referenced “speed of sound in Air” at standard sea-level

conditions is approximately ….

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 Natural (or Unforced) versus Forced Flow

Forced flow: A fluid is forced to flow over

a surface or in a pipe by external means
such as a pump or a fan.

Natural flow: Fluid motion is due to

natural means such as the buoyancy
effect, which manifests itself as the rise of
warmer (and thus lighter) fluid and the fall
of cooler (and thus denser) fluid.

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 Steady versus Unsteady Flow

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One-, Two-, and Three-Dimensional Flows
• A flow field is best characterized by its velocity distribution.
• A flow is said to be one-, two-, or three-dimensional if the flow velocity
varies in one, two, or three dimensions, respectively.

The development of the velocity profile in a circular pipe. Upstream V = V(r, z)

and thus the flow is two-dimensional in the entrance region, and becomes one-
dimensional downstream when the velocity profile fully develops and remains
unchanged in the flow direction, V = V(r).

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 One-, Two-, and Three-Dimensional Flows

• A flow field can also be shown by the function of its velocity

distribution.
y
• 1- D Flow V = V (x)
• 2- D Flow V = V (x, y)
• 3- D Flow V = V (x, y, z) x
• 3-D Unsteady Flow V = V (x, y, z, t)
z

y V = V (x, y)
2-D

x1 x2 x

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 Dimensions, Directions, and Steady vs. Unsteady
Flows Examples
Generally flows are complex and either 2-D if geometry is axis-symmetric or
3-D if it is complex.

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8/26/2024 MECE 210 21
MECE-210 Fluid Mechanics

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION AND BASIC
CONCEPTS

FALL 2024
What does a 1-Dimensional, 3-Direction
velocity field look like ?

� m/s
𝑽𝑽 = [𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐𝒊𝒊̂ + 𝟑𝟑𝒋𝒋̂ − 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝒌𝒌]

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8/26/2024 MECE 210 24
 SYSTEM AND CONTROL VOLUME
(think of Thermodynamics)

System: A quantity of matter or a

region in space chosen for study.
Surroundings: The mass or region
outside the system
Boundary: The real or imaginary
surface that separates the system
from its surroundings.
The boundary of a system can be
fixed or movable. System, surroundings,
Systems may be considered to be and boundary
closed or open.
Closed system (Control mass): A fixed amount of mass, and
no mass can cross its boundary.

A closed system with a

moving boundary.
Open system (control volume): A properly selected region in space.
It usually encloses a device that involves mass flow such as a
compressor, turbine, or nozzle.
Both mass and energy can cross the boundary of a control volume.
Control surface: The boundaries of a control volume. It can be real or
imaginary.

A control volume may involve fixed,

moving, real, and imaginary boundaries.
 IMPORTANCE OF DIMENSIONS AND UNITS

Any physical quantity can be characterized by dimensions.

The magnitudes assigned to the dimensions are called units.
Some basic dimensions such as mass m, length L, time t, and
temperature T are selected as primary or fundamental
dimensions, while others such as velocity V, energy E, and
volume V are expressed in terms of the primary dimensions and
are called secondary dimensions, or derived dimensions.

Metric SI system: A simple and logical system based on a

decimal relationship between the various units.

English system: It has no apparent systematic numerical base,

and various units in this system are related to each other rather
arbitrarily.
 TABLE 1−2
Standard prefixes in SI units

Multiple Prefix
TABLE 1−1 1024 yotta, Y
The seven fundamental (or primary) 1021 zetta, Z
dimensions and their units in SI 1018 exa, E
1015 peta, P
Dimension Unit
1012 tera, T
Length meter (m) 109 giga, G
106 mega, M
Mass kilogram (kg)
103 kilo, k
Time second (s) 102 hecto, h
Temperature kelvin (K) 101 deka, da
10−1 deci, d
Electric current ampere (A)
10−2 centi, c
Amount of light candela (cd) 10−3 milli, m
10−6 micro, μ
Amount of matter mole (mol)
10−9 nano, n
10−12 pico, p
10−15 femto, f
10−18 atto, a
10−21 zepto, z
10−24 yocto, y
The weight of a unit
mass at sea level.

A typical match yields about

one Btu (or one kJ) of energy
if completely burned.
Photo by John M. Cimbala.
 Dimensional Homogeneity
All equations must be dimensionally homogeneous.

Unity Conversion Ratios

All non-primary units (secondary units) can be
formed by combinations of primary units.

m ft
N = kg and lbf = 32.174 lbm
s2 s2
Some unity conversion ratios
N lbf
2
=1 and 2
=1
kg⋅ m/ s 32.174 lbm⋅ ft/ s

Unity conversion ratios are identically equal to 1 and are

unitless, and thus such ratios (or their inverses) can be inserted
conveniently into any calculation to properly convert units.
 Every unity conversion ratio (as well
as its inverse) is exactly equal to one.
Shown here are a few commonly used
Always check the units in unity conversion ratios, each within its
your calculations !!!! own set of parentheses.
 PROBLEM-SOLVING TECHNIQUE
The Problem-Solving approach used in Fluid Mechanics
is effectively the same as your other fundamental ME
courses (Statics, Thermo, Strengths, etc)
• Step 1: GIVEN
• Step 2: FIND
• Step 3: ASSUMPTIONS
• Step 4: SCHEMATIC
• Step 5: GOVERNING EQUATIONS
• Step 6: ANALYSIS (Solution)
• Step 7: FINAL ANSWER clearly identified
For each Homework Problem make sure you address
each of the 7 Steps above in your analysis of the
problem. Points will be deducted if any of the Steps are
missing in a solution.
8/26/2024 MECE 210 33
 MATHEMATICAL MODELING
OF ENGINEERING PROBLEMS
Experimental vs. Analytical Analysis
An engineering device or process can be studied either experimentally
(testing and taking measurements) or analytically (by analysis or
calculations).
The experimental approach has the advantage that we deal with the
actual physical system, and the desired quantity is determined by
measurement, within the limits of experimental error. However, this
approach is expensive, time-consuming, and often impractical.
The analytical approach (including the numerical approach) has the
advantage that it is fast and inexpensive, but the results obtained are
subject to the accuracy of the assumptions, approximations, and
idealizations made in the analysis.

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