Chapter 5:

CONCEPTS OF
MOMENTUM IN FLUID
FLOW
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this week students will

be able to :

Understand the concepts of

momentum in fluid flow
5.1 INTRODUCTION

Newton’s Second Law states that

force is equal to mass multiplied by
accelaration

F  ma  Q(v2  v1 )
F is comprises of forces F1,F2 & F3
where:

F1 = force exerted in the given direction on the

fluid by any solid body
F2 = force exerted in the given direction on the
fluid by gravity
F3 = force exerted in the given direction on the
fluid by other fluid
Then, the equation can be rewritten as:

F1 + F2 + F3 = ρQ(v2 – v1)
In x-direction 
F1x + F2x + F3x = ρQ(v2x – v1x)
In y-direction 
F1y + F2y + F3y = ρQ(v2y – v1y)
In z-direction 
F1z + F2z + F3z = ρQ(v2z – v1z)
 Example 1
• Water discharges from a 50 mm nozzle as
a horizontal jet, hitting a vertical plate.
Determine the horizontal force necessary
to hold the plate in place if the flow rate is
0.042 m3/s
 Example 2
• A jet of water having a velocity of 10 m/s is
being deflected by a curved surface