Fluid Properties

 Density: The density of a fluid, denoted by ρ (lowercase Greek

rho), is its mass per unit volume. Density is highly variable in
gases and increases nearly proportionally to the pressure
level. Density in liquids is nearly constant; the density of water
(about 1000 kg/m3) increases only 1 percent if the pressure is
increased by a factor of 220.
mass
ρ= Kg/m3
volume
Other fluid densities are listed in Tables A.3 & A.4 (Appendix A).
 The specific volume, ν, is defined as the reciprocal of the
density, ν = 1/ρ. It is the volume per unit mass (m3/kg).
 Fluid Properties
 Specific Weight: The specific weight of a fluid, denoted by γ
(lowercase Greek gamma), is its weight per unit volume. Just
as a mass has a weight W = mg , density and specific weight
are simply related by gravity:

 The units of γ are in lbf/ft3 or N/m3, where g = 32.174 ft/s2 =

9.807 m/s2. For example, the specific weights of air & water at
20⁰C and 1 atm are approximately:

 Specific weights of other fluids are given in Tables A.3 and A.4.
 Fluid Properties
 Specific Gravity: Specific gravity, denoted by SG, is the ratio of
a fluid density to a standard reference fluid, usually water at
4⁰C (for liquids) and air (for gases):

 SG is dimensionless.
 Fluid Properties
 Pressure: Pressure, P, is the (compression) stress at a point in
a static fluid. It is a force per unit area and has the units of
lbf/ft2 or N/m2 (or Pascal, Pa).
 A commonly used value of pressure is the atmospheric
pressure = 1 atm = 2116 lbf/ft2 = 101300 Pa.
 Temperature: Temperature, T, is related to the internal energy
level of a fluid. It has the units of K or °R or °C or °F, where:
 Viscosity
 The viscosity of a fluid is the measure of its resistance to gradual
deformation. In simple terms, viscosity means friction between the
molecules of fluid.
 Thus, it is the property of a fluid which opposes the relative motion
between 2 surfaces of the fluid that are moving at different velocities.
 A fluid that has no resistance to shear stress is known as
an ideal or inviscid fluid. Otherwise, fluids with a viscosity are
technically said to be viscous or viscid. A fluid with a relatively high
viscosity may appear to be a solid.
 Viscosity
 Consider a fluid element
between 2 plates & sheared in
one plane by a shear stress τ.
 The shear strain angle δθ will
continuously grow with time as
long as the stress τ is maintained,
the upper surface moving at
speed δu larger than the lower.
 Such common fluids as water, oil,
and air show a linear relation
between applied shear and
resulting strain rate:
 Viscosity
 From the geometry, we see that:

 In the limit of infinitesimal changes,

this becomes a relation between
shear strain rate & velocity gradient:

 Since

 Then:
 Viscosity
 The constant of proportionality is the viscosity coefficient μ
(slug/ft·s or kg/m·s) or called absolute viscosity or dynamic
viscosity:

 A closer inspection of the fluid motion between the two

plates would reveal that the fluid in contact with the upper
plate moves with the plate velocity, u, & the fluid in contact
with the bottom fixed plate has a zero velocity. This
observation is very important in fluid mechanics and is
referred to as the no-slip condition.
 Viscosity

 Figure shows a shear layer, or

boundary layer, near a solid wall.
 At the wall, u is zero relative to
the wall (no-slip condition).
 The shear stress τ is proportional
to the slope of the velocity
profile (du/dy) and is greatest at
the wall (at y=0).
 Viscosity
 The actual value of the viscosity depends on the type of fluid
as well as the temperature & pressure.
 Viscosity of a fluid increases weakly with the increase of
pressure.
 Temperature, however, has a strong effect on viscosity. As T
increases μ decreases for liquids (for example, oil), while it
increases for gases (for example, air).
 Thus, the fluids that follow the linear proportionality (shear
stress is linearly related to shear strain) are called Newtonian
fluids (viscosity μ is independent of the stress). Gases, water,
and many common liquids can be considered Newtonian in
ordinary conditions.
 Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids
There are many non-Newtonian fluids that significantly
deviate from that law in some way or other. For example:
 Dilatant: This fluid is shear-thickening, increasing its
resistance with increasing strain rate. The classic case quicksand
is quicksand, which stiffens up if ·one thrashes about.
Examples are suspensions of corn starch or sand in
water.
 Pseudoplastic: A shear-thinning fluid is less resistant
at higher strain rates. A very strong thinning is called paper pulp in water
plastic. The classic case is paint, which is thick when
poured but thin when brushed at a high strain rate.
Examples are polymer solutions, paper pulp in water,
latex paint, blood plasma, and syrup.
latex paint
 Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids
 Bingham plastic: The limiting case of a
plastic substance is one that requires a finite
yield stress* before it begins to flow. Figure
shows yielding followed by linear behavior,
but nonlinear flow can also occur. The
classic case is Ketchup, which will not come
out of the bottle until you stress it by
shaking. Some examples are clay
suspensions, toothpaste, mayonnaise,
chocolate, and mustard.
 Figure compares some non-Newtonian to
Newtonian fluids. For the nonlinear curves,
the slope at any point is called the apparent
viscosity.
*Recall that: The yield point is the point on a stress–strain curve that indicates the limit of elastic
behavior and the beginning of plastic behavior.
 Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids
 A further complication of non-
Newtonian behavior is the transient
effect shown in Figure.
 Some fluids require a gradually
increasing shear stress to maintain a
constant strain rate and are called
rheopectic.
 The opposite case of a fluid that thins
out with time and requires decreasing
stress is termed thixotropic.
 Non-Newtonian effects are neglected in
this book.
 Kinematic Viscosity
 Kinematic viscosity, ν, is the ratio of the absolute
viscosity to the fluid density & has the unit m2/s.
 Viscosity
 Table lists the viscosity of eight fluids at standard pressure &
temperature (1 atm and 20°C). There is a variation of six orders of
magnitude from hydrogen up to glycerin. Thus there will be wide
differences between fluids subjected to the same applied stresses.

·
 Example-Viscosity
Flow between two plates, upper one moving at u=V & lower one fixed. The
fluid fills the space between the plates and is a Newtonian fluid. No-slip
condition implies that the fluid layer near the fixed plate has zero velocity &
the fluid layer near the moving plate has the velocity of the moving plate. A
linear velocity profile exists u(y).
·

du
τ=µ
dy
 Example-Viscosity
Integrate to obtain:

• The velocity distribution is linear, as shown in Figure, and the constants a

and b can be evaluated from the no-slip condition at the upper and lower
walls:
·

• Hence a = 0 and b = V/h .

• Then the velocity profile between
the plates is given by:
 Example-Viscosity
Suppose that the fluid being sheared is SAE 30 oil at 20°C.
Compute the shear stress in the oil if V = 3 m/s and h = 2 cm.
Solution
 System sketch: This is shown earlier in the Figure.
 ·
Assumptions: Linear velocity profile, laminar Newtonian fluid, no
slip at either plate surface.
 Approach: The analysis leads to

 Property values: From previous Table for SAE 30 oil, the oil viscosity
μ = 0.29 kg/(m·s).
 Solution steps: The only unknown is fluid shear stress:
 Problem 1.52
The belt in Fig. P1.52 moves at a steady velocity V and skims the top of a tank
of oil of viscosity μ , as shown. Assuming a linear velocity profile in the oil,
develop a simple formula for the required belt-drive power P as a function of
(h, L, V, b, μ). What belt-drive power P, in watts, is required if the belt moves
at 2.5 m/s over SAE 30W oil at 20°C, with L = 2 m, b = 60 cm, and h = 3 cm?
Problem 1.52
 Problem 1.47
Data for the apparent viscosity of average human blood, at
normal body temperature of 37°C, varies with shear strain
rate, as shown in the following table.

(a) Is blood a non-Newtonian fluid? (b) If so, what type of

fluid is it? (c) How do these viscosities compare with plain
water at 37°C?
 Problem 1.47
(a) Since the viscosity varies with strain rate, then blood is non-
Newtonian. (Newtonian fluids have constant viscosity & the
shear stress is proportional to the strain rate)
(b) Since the viscosity decreases as shear rate increases, the
blood is a shear thinning fluid.
(c) Water at 37°C has a viscosity of 0.0006996 kg/m·s (Table
A.1). So even though the viscosity of blood decreased as the
shear rate increased, the blood viscosity was still higher than
that of water under the tested conditions.