LECTURE # 1

FLUID MECHANICS

BY DR. ALI IMRAN

 BOOKS
We will follow two books
(i) Fluid Mechanics Fundamental Application
Younus Cengel, Cimbala
(ii) Ideal Fluid Dynamics for scientist and Engineers
Prof. Dr. Nawazish Ali Shah
Mechanics
is the oldest physical science that deals with both stationary and
moving bodies under the influence of forces. The branch of mechanics that
deals with bodies at rest is called statics, while the branch that deals with
bodies in motion is called dynamics.

Fluid Mechanics
The subcategory fluid mechanics is
defined as 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 mechanics is also referred to as fluid
dynamics by considering fluids at rest as a special case of motion with zero
velocity (Fig. 1–1).
Examples All the liquids and gases are examples of fluids
Liquids water, blood, shampoo, oils, etc
Branches of Fluid Mechanics
Fluid mechanics itself is also divided into several categories. The study of
the motion of fluids that are practically incompressible (such as liquids,
especially water, and gases at low speeds) is usually referred to as
hydrodynamics. A subcategory of hydrodynamics is hydraulics, 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. The category aerodynamics deals with the
flow of gases (especially air) over bodies such as aircraft, rockets, and
automobiles at high or low speeds. Some other specialized categories such as
meteorology, oceanography, and hydrology deal with naturally occurring
flows.
What Is a Fluid?
You will recall from physics that a substance exists in three primary phases:
solid, liquid, and gas. (At very high temperatures, it also exists as plasma.)
A substance in the liquid or gas phase is referred to as a fluid. Distinction
between a solid and a fluid is made on the basis of the substance’s ability to
resist an applied shear (or tangential) stress that tends to change its shape. A
solid can resist an applied shear stress by deforming, whereas a fluid
deforms continuously under the influence of 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 certain rate of strain.
stress
is defined as force per unit area and is determined by dividing the force by the
area upon which it acts. The normal component of the force acting on a surface
per unit area is called the normal stress and the tangential component of a force
acting on a surface per unit area is called shear stress (Fig. 1–3). In a fluid at rest,
the normal stress is called pressure. The supporting walls of a fluid eliminate
shear stress, and thus 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 and the
liquid splashes or moves to attain a horizontal free surface.
 In a liquid, chunks 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, on the other hand, expands until it encounters the walls of the
container and fills the entire available space. This is because the gas mole-
cules are widely spaced, and the cohesive forces between them are very
small. Unlike liquids, gases cannot form a free surface (Fig. 1–4).
 Application Areas of Fluid Mechanics
Fluid mechanics is widely used both in everyday activities and in the design
of modern engineering systems from vacuum cleaners to supersonic aircraft.
Therefore, it is important to develop a good understanding of the basic
principles of fluid mechanics.
To begin with, fluid mechanics plays a vital role in the human body. The
heart is constantly pumping blood to all parts of the human body through
the arteries and veins, and the lungs are the sites of airflow in alternating
directions. Needless to say, all artificial hearts, breathing machines, and
dialysis systems are designed using fluid dynamics.
An ordinary house is, in some respects, an exhibition hall filled with appli-
cations of fluid mechanics. The piping systems for cold water, natural gas,
and sewage for an individual house and the entire city are designed primarily
on the basis of fluid mechanics. The same is also true for the piping and duct-
ing network of heating and air-conditioning systems. A refrigerator involves
 tubes through which the refrigerant flows, a compressor that pressurizes the
refrigerant, and two heat exchangers where the refrigerant absorbs and rejects
heat. Fluid mechanics plays a major role in the design of all these compo-
nents. Even the operation of ordinary faucets is based on fluid mechanics.
We can also see numerous applications of fluid mechanics in an automo-
bile. All components associated with the transportation of the fuel from the

On a broader scale, fluid mechanics plays a major part in the design and
analysis of aircraft, boats, submarines, rockets, jet engines, wind turbines,
biomedical devices, the cooling of electronic components, and the trans-
portation of water, crude oil, and natural gas. It is also considered in the
design of buildings, bridges, and even billboards to make sure that the struc-
tures can withstand wind loading. Numerous natural phenomena such as the
rain cycle, weather patterns, the rise of ground water to the top of trees,
winds, ocean waves, and currents in large water bodies are also governed by
the principles of fluid mechanics (Fig. 1–7).