Technological Principles –

Level 4

Lecture 4 –
Properties of Fluids & Fluid Statics

Dr Philip Sewell
www.bournemouth.ac.uk
 INTRODUCTION – Why Study
Fluids?
A vast array of engineered systems utilise
fluid mechanics as an essential part of their
design.

These can range from engineering

applications such as water supply and
transport to domestic items such as vacuum
cleaners and hair dryers.

In this lecture we will concentrate on static

fluids (i.e. a fluid that does not move).

As long as a fluid is stationary we can find out

how it interacts with its surroundings with
relative ease.
 THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
FLUIDS AND SOLIDS
All substances can exist in different forms or
phases, depending on their temperature and
pressure.

The different phases are solid, liquid and gas (i.e.

ice, water and steam).

Liquids and gases are classed as fluids.

Tension Compression

Solids, in general, do not change shape easily

without applying large external forces (unless
under extreme conditions).

This means they can withstand tensile (stretching),

compressive (squashing) and shear (sliding or
skewing) forces.
 THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
FLUIDS AND SOLIDS
Fluids will flow when a force is applied. For example, fluids will take on the
shape of any container into which they are put as they flow under gravity (i.e.
due to their own weight).

This is because they are incapable of withstanding shear. When a shearing

force is applied to a fluid it will continue to flow for however long the force is
applied.

The only type of force which a fluid can withstand is a compressive force or
pressure. Therefore:

While the fluid is flowing it will offer some resistance due to its internal friction. A
measure of this resistance is given by the viscosity of the fluid.
 PROPERTIES OF FLUIDS
Below are some key definitions of properties of fluids.
Density
The density of a fluid is defined as its mass per unit volume.

Symbol:  (rho) Units: Kg/m3

mass m
Density  
volume V

Density of water = 1000kg/m3

 PROPERTIES OF FLUIDS
Below are some key definitions of properties of fluids.
Relative Density
This relates the density of a fluid to the density of water.

Symbol: RD. Units: none

density of fluid
Re lative Density 
density of water

Density of water = 1000kg/m3

 PROPERTIES OF FLUIDS
Below are some key definitions of properties of fluids.

Specific Weight
This is the weight per unit volume of a fluid.

Symbol: none Units: N/m3

weight W mg
Specific Weight   
volume V V

m
Specific Weight  density g as density 
V
 PROPERTIES OF FLUIDS
Below are some key definitions of properties of fluids.

Specific Gravity
This relates the specific weight of a fluid to the specific weight of water.

Symbol: SG. Units: none

specific weight of fluid

Specific Gravity 
specific weight of water

Specific Gravity is numerically equal to the Relative Density

 PROPERTIES OF FLUIDS
Below are some key definitions of properties of fluids.

Specific Volume
This is the volume occupied by a unit mass of a fluid.

Symbol: v Units: m3/kg

volume V
Specific Volume  
mass m

1 m
Specific Volume = as density 
density V
 PROPERTIES OF FLUIDS
Example
Calculate the specific weight of (a) water and (b) mercury given that their
specific gravities are 1 and 13.6 respectively.

Density of water = 1000kg/m3

(a)

Specific Weight water  densitywater  g

Specific Weight water  1000  9.81  9810N

m3
 PROPERTIES OF FLUIDS
Example
Calculate the specific weight of (a) water and (b) mercury given that their
specific gravities are 1 and 13.6 respectively.

Density of water = 1000kg/m3

(b)
density of mercury
Specific gravity mercury  Re lative Densitymercury 
density of water
density of mercury
13.6  Density of mercury = 13.6 x 1000 = 13600kg/m3
1000

Specific Weight mercury  densitymercury  g

Specific Weight mercury  13600  9.81  133416N

m3
 COMBINING FLUIDS
When mixing liquids of different densities together, you can assume that the
volumes and masses are not affected due to the mixing.

So if two liquids are mixed together, the final mass of the mixture is equal to the
two masses added together.

In a similar manner, the final volume of the mixture is equal to the two volumes
added together.

The density of the mixture then equals the total mass divided by the total
volume:

total mass
Density of mixture 
total volume
 COMBINING FLUIDS
Example
2 Kg of oil 1 of density ρ = 850 kg/m3 is mixed with 5kg of oil 2 of density ρ =
910 kg/m3. Find the density of the final oil.
mass mass
Density  Therefore: volume 
volume density

2 5
volumeoil1   2.35  10 3 m3 volumeoil2   5.49  10 3 m3
850 910

total mass massoil1  massoil2

Density of mixture  
volumeoil1  volumeoil2
total volume

25 kg
Density of mixture   892.86
2.35  10 3  5.49  10 3 m3
 VOLUMETRIC EXPANSION OF
LIQUIDS
When the temperature of most substances changes, then so does the volume.

For example, you may be aware that checking liquid levels in a vehicle should
be usually done when the vehicle is warmed up and not when it is cold, i.e. at
the normal running temperature.

This change in volume needs to be predicted when designing and performing

calculations on a fluid system.
 VOLUMETRIC EXPANSION OF
LIQUIDS
Not all substances expand equally when subjected to the same temperature
change.

These changes in volume are calculated using constants or coefficients for a

particular substance.

For solids, a coefficient of linear expansion or contraction is used. It can

predict the change in length of a linear dimension.

Liquids take up the shape of their container and do not have fixed dimensions.

The change in volume of a liquid that undergoes a temperature change is

proportional to the original volume and the change in temperature and is
calculated using a coefficient of volumetric expansion.
 VOLUMETRIC EXPANSION OF
LIQUIDS
This is the change in volume per unit volume for a one-degree change in the
temperature of a substance.

The total change in volume is calculated using the following formula:

We can give the coefficient of volumetric expansion a symbol, (gamma). The

Greek letter  (delta) is usually used to represent the words 'change in'.

If V is the original volume, V is the change in volume and T is the change in

temperature, then:

The units of  are expressed "per degree kelvin (/K)".

 VOLUMETRIC EXPANSION OF
LIQUIDS
Example
An oil tank is 2 m long by 1.5 m wide. The oil is 3 m deep in the tank. Calculate
the increase in the depth of oil when the oil temperature increases by 10 C. The
coefficient of volumetric expansion for the oil is 70×10-5 /K. Neglect any
expansion of the tank material.

Luckily, a 1 change in temperature in Celsius is equal to a 1 change in Kelvin.

change in volume  V    V  T

V  70  105  2  1.5  3  10  0.063m3

change in volume = change in depth x area of base

change in volume 0.063

change in depth    0.021m
area of base
2  1.5
 PRESSURE IN A STATIC FLUID
There are three important properties concerning the pressure in a fluid at rest.
These are know as the Pascal’s Laws:

• The pressure is the same throughout the fluid if the

weight of the fluid is ignored, or in other words, the
pressure in a fluid is equal at the same horizontal
level.

• The pressure acts equally in all directions at the same

time.

• The pressure acts at right angles to any surface in

contact with the fluid.
Notice that the word 'fluid' is used rather than 'liquid'. This is because these laws
apply to gases as well as liquids.
 PRESSURE IN A STATIC FLUID
Bulk Modulus
The pressure in a fluid tends to compress a body.

The ratio of the pressure to the fractional decrease in volume is called the bulk
modulus (B)

The inverse of the bulk modulus (1/B) is called the compressibility, k.

 PRESSURE IN A STATIC FLUID
Consider a liquid in a closed cylinder put under pressure by applying a force, F, to
the piston with area A shown.

The pressure P in the liquid is calculated from:

 PRESSURE IN A STATIC FLUID
Pressure Units
The unit of pressure is Newtons per square metre (N/m 2).

The name pascal is also used for this unit where 1Pa = 1N/m 2.

Another unit which is used for pressure is the bar where 1 bar = 100000 (105)
N/m2.

Atmospheric pressure is approximately equal to 1 bar.

 PRESSURE IN A STATIC FLUID
Example
Convert 1.6 bars to pascal and convert 625Pa to bar.

1 bar = 105N/m2 = 105Pa

1.6 bar = 1.6x105 Pa = 160x103Pa = 160kPa

625 3
5
 6.25  10 bar
10
 HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS
Hydraulic systems use rams and highly pressurised fluids to do work.

Typically the arm of an excavator is controlled using hydraulic systems.

 HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS
In the simplified hydraulic ram system shown below the load D in the load ram is
balanced by a smaller force F at the same height in the effort ram.
 HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS

The pressure due to the load D The pressure due to the load F is:
is:
Force D Force F
Pr essure,P   Pr essure,P  
Area A Area a
 HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS

If the system is in equilibrium then the pressure is equal in both rams:

D F D A
 or

A a F a
 HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS

If the system is in equilibrium then the pressure is equal in both rams:

D load A
  M.A. (force ratio)  V.R. (movement ratio)
F effort a
 WORK AND POWER
Suppose we want to calculate the work done in raising the load D by a certain
height L2. The liquid must be displaced from the effort ram to the load ram.

The volume V2 of liquid displaced will be equal to the load ram area A by the height
L2:
Volume displaced V2 = A x L2
 WORK AND POWER
Suppose we want to calculate the work done in raising the load D by a certain
height L2. The liquid must be displaced from the effort ram to the load ram.

The work done equals the force multiplied by the distance moved:
D
Work done, W = D x L2 as: P then D = P x A
A
 WORK AND POWER
Suppose we want to calculate the work done in raising the load D by a certain
height L2. The liquid must be displaced from the effort ram to the load ram.

The work done equals the force multiplied by the distance moved:

Work done, W = P x A x L2 as: D=PxA

 WORK AND POWER
Suppose we want to calculate the work done in raising the load D by a certain
height L2. The liquid must be displaced from the effort ram to the load ram.

This is the same as pressure multiplied by volume:

W = P x V2 as V2 = A x L2
 WORK AND POWER
Suppose we want to calculate the work done in raising the load D by a certain
height L2. The liquid must be displaced from the effort ram to the load ram.

The effort ram has to move a lot further than the load ram to displace the same
volume of liquid due to their relative areas. Therefore increased force is generated in
the load ram at a cost of having to move the effort ram a large distance.
 WORK AND POWER
Power is the rate of doing work, i.e. work per unit of time.

W PV
Power  
t t

The volume V per unit of time (V/t) is the volumetric flow rate (Q).

The units of Q are m3/s.

 WORK AND POWER
Example
A pump delivers 600 litres per hour of water against a pressure of 10 bar.
Calculate the power that the pump produces.

Power  P  Q
There is 0.001m3 in one litre and 3600 seconds in one hour, therefore:

Q = 600 x  0.001 = 1.6667x10-4 m3/s

 3600 

1 bar = 105 N/m2 = 105Pa, therefore:

10 bar = 10x105 Pa

Power = 10x105 x 1.667x10-4 = 166.67W (watts)