Fluid Mechanics

First Year Mech & Aero Programme

Lecture 1: Basic concepts

Prof Shan Zhong

shan.zhong@manchester.ac.uk
 Objectives of this lecture
• To understand what this course is about
• To have an idea of the course arrangement
• To gain knowledge of a few basic
characteristics of fluids including
• Compressibility
• Viscosity
• Surface tension and capillary effect

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Fluid mechanics is everywhere
Ocean Earth atmosphere

CIHT
© BBC Newround © Met Office

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 What is fluid mechanics?
• We want to
– Understand how fluids behave
– Be able to predict their behaviour
– Be able to make them behave in a desired manner
• The behaviour of fluid satisfies a set of well
documented basic laws.
• Fluid mechanics is the science that deals with the
behaviours of a fluid at rest or in motion, and the
interaction of a fluid with solids or other fluids at the
boundaries.

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 Applications

© CIHT
Transportation vehicles Dams Wind turbines

© Physics World
© Vector Stock
Nature
Weather forecasting Blood flow Sports
CIHT

© Met Office
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Fluid mechanics related courses
• Overview of fluid mechanics courses
Year Aerospace Engineering Mechanical Engineering
1 Fluid Mechanics 1
2 Fluid Mechanics 2
3 Aircraft Aerodynamics Heat Transfer
4 • Launch and Re-entry Gas • Advanced Heat Transfer
Dynamics • Acoustics & Adv. Vibration
• Experimental Methods • Advanced CFD
• Advanced CFD

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 Aims & objectives of Fluids 1
• Aims
– To give students an introductory understanding of
the behaviour of fluid at rest and low-speed fluid in
motion.
• Objectives
– Calculate pressure and forces in stationary fluids
– Understand and apply mass conservation law
– Understand momentum theorem and calculate
forces exerted by fluid flows
– Understand Bernoulli's equation and calculate
variations of pressure and velocity in a flow
– Understand the behaviour of real fluids
– How velocity and pressure can be measured
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 Arrangement of this course
• The teaching sessions consist of
– Two one-hour lectures per week
– One-hour tutorial every two weeks
– One laboratory experiment (2.5h)

See you personalised timetables for the time/locations of teaching sessions 8

 References
• Lecture materials
– Copies of lecture presentation slides
– Lectures notes
– Lecture videos
• The textbook
– “Fluid Mechanics” by Frank White, 9th edition,
McGraw-Hill International.
– Online version available via
the “Kortex” platform.

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 Resources
• Blackboard
– Module plan and drop-in/surgery sessions
– Copies of lecture presentation slides and videos
– Tutorial questions/solutions
– Coursework assignment and quizzes
– Links to reference books
– Past exam papers and solutions
• Piazza
– The discussion forum to be used both in class and as
part of our asynchronous support structure
– Rather than emailing us your questions to us, please
redirect all your questions to the forum so that they can
be answered for everyone's benefit.
https://piazza.com/manchester.ac.uk/fall2024/aero10421
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 Philosophy of the course
• Fluid Mechanics is a subject involving the use of
knowledge in physics and math.
• Emphasis on the learning of fundamental principles
and basic characteristics of fluid flows
• Emphasis on applications of theories to typical fluid
problems
• Students are expected to study the course
materials right after the sessions.
• It is important that students go through the tutorial
questions and understand them thoroughly.

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 Definition of a fluid
• Substances can be broadly classified into Solids
and Fluids,
– A solid can resist a force by static deformation
– In dictionaries, a fluid often described
a substance which is capable of flowing or does not
possess a definite shape. It can be subdivided into

Liquids retain a constant Gases expand to occupy

volume all available space

Fluid

– A fluid would continuously move and

deform under the action of a shear force 12
 Definition of a fluid
• Are any of the following substances not Fluid?

Helium Honey Tar

Sand
https://news.mit.edu/2018/ken-kamrin-model-granular-material-flow-0514
Blood
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 Fluid as a continuum
• A fluid consists of a collection of freely and randomly
moving molecules.
• If the mean distance between molecules (l) is far smaller
than the flow dimension (d),
– The molecular nature of a fluid can be ignored and the fluid is
treated as a continuum.
– The fluid is considered to be composed of fluid particles which
occupies a point in space but contains a large number of
molecules.
• Continuum is applicable except for nano-scale
applications or rarefied flow.

d A fluid particle
consisting of
many molecules
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l<< d
 Characteristics of a fluid
• Compressibility
– The ability to change in volume in reaction to an
increase in pressure
• Viscosity
– Stickiness of a fluid
• Surface tension and capillary effect
– Characteristics a liquid exhibits at a free surface

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 Compressibility
• Compressibility
– The ability to change in volume in reaction to
an increase in pressure
p
• Compressibility coefficient
V / V 1 V
  
V
p V p

p+dp
 Water: b = 0.455x10-9 Pa-1
 Air: b= 0.714x10-5 Pa-1
V+dV

bis 1 Pa = 1N/m
a measure 2
of how (Pressure
compressible unit)
a
fluid can be in relation to other fluids.
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 Incompressible flow
• When a fluid is compressed or expanded, its density
will change.
• A fluid is called incompressible when its density is
essentially constant during a flow process.
– A gas flow can be treated as incompressible when its density
variation is less than 5%.
– In the absence of heat transfer, an air flow with velocity less
than 100m/s meets this condition.
• High-speed flows are associated with large variations in
density and hence are compressible.
• The incompressible flow assumption simplifies the
analysis. © Engineering.com

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 Viscosity
• A measure of “stickiness” of fluid
• How viscosity is produced?
– Liquids: cohesive forces between molecules
– Gases: momentum exchange due to collisions of molecules
– Its value varies with temperature.
• Fluid viscosity is quantified by viscosity coefficient, m.
– At 1atm and 20oC,
 1.82 10  5 kg / m.s (Air);  110  3 kg / m.s (Water).

• All fluids have viscosity.

• Idealized fluids with zero viscosity are called inviscid fluids.
Viscosity is caused by
the internal resistance
to relative motion
between adjacent
layers of fluids.
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 Consequence of viscosity
• A fluid in direct contact with a solid surface sticks
to the surface, resulting in a no-slip condition.
y V y
V V V
V V
Velocity profile
Vfluid 0 V fluid 0

Stationary wall Stationary wall

Real fluid Inviscid fluid

w
Stationary
casing R0
Rotating shaft
w is the angular velocity. 19
 Consequence of viscosity
• A fluid in direct contact with a solid surface sticks
to the surface, resulting in a no-slip condition.
y V y
V V V
V V
Velocity profile
Vfluid 0 V fluid 0

Stationary wall Stationary wall

Real fluid Inviscid fluid

R
Vfluid 0
Velocity profile
V fluid R 0

Correction: V fluid 2R 0 w

Stationary R0
Rotating shaft
casing
w is the angular velocity. 20
 Shear stress due to viscosity
• Viscous shear stress develops between two adjacent fluid
layers to retard their relative motion.
y
V  V
Dy

Viscous shear stress, 

• Newton’s law of viscosity

V At a given temperature and pressure, the

  shear stress is linearly proportional to
y shear rate with the viscosity coefficient, m,
being the constant factor.

• Fluids which satisfy this relation are called Newtonian

fluid. 21
 Shear stress due to viscosity
• Given velocity profile, shear stress can be calculated:
V y
V V
Velocity profile
Vfluid 0 Friction force: wall
exerts on fluid
y=0
Stationary wall Friction force: fluid
exerts on wall

dV Velocity gradient normal

 
dy to the flow direction

• The shear force,

F  A , where A is the contact area.
• At the wall, F becomes the friction force.

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 Next Lecture
• Surface tension and capillary effect
– Characteristics a liquid exhibits at a free surface
• Variations of pressure with depth

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