Properties of Fluids

 The most basic property of a fluid is its density.

 The density is defined as the mass per unit volume, ρ = M V
 The specific weight is the weight per unit volume, γ = W V
 The specific weight and density are related by γ = ρg
 The specific gravity of a liquid (e.g., oil) is defined by S = ρ ρw
where ρw is the density of water (ρw = 1000 Kg/m3). For
example, S = 0.85 for oil, i.e. ρ = 0.85ρw

6
Ideal Gas Law
 For water, the density does not vary much with pressure. Water
is therefore considered incompressible.
 For gases, the density varies with pressure and temperature. The
ideal gas law is used to estimate the density
p
ρ=
RT
 Here R is the gas constant. For air, R = 287 J/Kg.K
 For oxygen, R = 260 J/Kg.K

7
Surface Tension
 Surface tension is a force that acts at the interface of two liquids.
 It is the result of molecular attraction that is out of balance at
the interface.
 This tension force is expressed by a simple equation in terms of
the length of contact L
F = σL
 The surface tension σ for a water-air interface is 0.073 N/m at
room temperature.

8
Kinematic & Dynamic Viscosity
 The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to shear or
deformation under shear stress.
 For example, oil is more viscous than water. It will pour more
slowly than water as it has a higher resistance to shear.
 The viscosity is defined as the proportionality constant between
the applied shear stress and the velocity gradient
F du
τ= =μ
A dy
 Here du dy is the velocity gradient or change of velocity u with
distance y from the boundary
 The constant μ is known as the dynamic viscosity
 The ratio of μ over ρ is known as the kinematic viscosity ν = μ ρ
 Ideal fluids with no friction have negligible or zero viscosity.

9
Application Examples
 Ideal Gas Law (IGL) is most used to compute the density of air
given the pressure and temperature. It arises in problems of air
flow in ducts, drag and lift force of airplanes and flying bodies.
 The viscosity is most often needed to estimate the friction or
shear force of any body in contact with oil or water. It arises
mostly in problems of moving machinery (car) parts that are
lubricated with oil.

10
Example Problem
 A typical example involves the sliding of a board over a film of
oil. There are two forces acting: the weight and the shear force.
 The weight is normally known. The shear force is obtained from
the shear stress times the contact area.
 The shear stress is given by the viscosity of the oil and the
velocity gradient.
 The velocity distribution in the oil layer is linear or parabolic.
 The velocity is linear varying between 0 at the fixed boundary
(wall) and V at the moving boundary (plate).
 The velocity is parabolic for (low) flows in a pipe where both
boundaries are not moving.

11
Example Problem – Continued
 For a constant velocity (zero acceleration), the sum of forces is
equal to zero.
 The forces are the shear force and the component of the weight
in the direction of the movement.
 Equating the two forces, one gets a relationship in terms of the
velocity, the contact area, the thickness of oil, and the viscosity.
 Hence, one can find the force required to drag a plate or shaft,
the thickness of oil, or the constant velocity.
 The first exam problem will be like one of those example
problems (Ex. 101-115).

12