SH1685

Mechanics in Vibrations and Fluids

I. Assumptions and Limitations of Bernoulli’s Equation

Limitations
1. The velocity of a given fluid flowing in a system is at maximum when near the center
of the pipe it flows in, in which the velocity gradually decreases as the fluid comes near
the pipe’s walls. Thus, in every equations and problem solving, the mean velocity of
the fluid is used due to the inconsistency of the fluid’s velocity within the system.

2. There are still external forces acting on the fluid, which affects the flow rate of the
fluid. Thus, in using the Bernoulli equation, the scenario must neglect such outside
forces, which in reality should taken into account. So, if energy is transferred in the
flowing system, it will be taken into consideration.

3. In the case of turbulent (violent or strong) flows, some kinetic energy (in the form of
1
𝑇 = 2 𝜌𝑣 2 ) is converted into heat energy. In a viscous (similar to thick) flow, some of
the energy is lost due to shear forces. Therefore, all such losses must not be taken into
account whenever using this equation.

4. Should the fluid flows within a curved path, the energy due to centripetal motion must
be taken into account.

Assumptions
1. The fluid must be ideal and incompressible, meaning it can act on any scenarios.
2. The flow must be steady, meaning no disruptions.
3. The flow must be one-dimensional.
4. The velocity of the fluid must be uniform over the section, and must be equal to its
mean velocity.
5. The only forces allowed to interact with the system are gravity and pressure.

References:
Bauer, W. & Westfall, G. D. (2016). General physics 1 (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill Education.
Belleza, R.V., Gadong, E.S.A., …, Sharma, M. PhD (2016). General physics 1. Quezon City, Vibal Publishing
House, Inc.
Freedman, R. A., Ford, A. L., & Young, H. D. (2011). Sears and zemansky's university physics (with Modern
physics) (13th ed.). Addison-Wesley.
Halliday, D., Resnick, R., & Walker, J. (2007). Fundamentals of physics (5th ed.). New York, John Wiley and Sons,
Inc.
Nave, C. R. (2016). Fluids. Retrieved from The Georgia State University’s HyperPhysics:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase fluid.html#flucon
Somara, S. (2016). Fluids at rest: Crash course physics #14. Retrieved from YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5SqYuWT4-4
Somara, S. (2016). Fluids in motion: Crash course physics #15. Retrieved from YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJefjG3xhW0

10 Handout 1 *Property of STI

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