INTRODUCTION TO FLUID MECHANICS

FLUID STATICS is the branch of fluid mechanics that studies fluids at rest. It embraces
the study of the conditions under which fluids are at rest in stable equilibrium

FLUID DYNAMICS, in physics, is a sub discipline of fluid mechanics that deals with fluid
flow—the natural science of fluids(liquids and gases) in motion

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FLUID PROPERTIES

A. MASS DENSITY - mass per unit of volume

mass m kg g slugs
ρ= = = = = 3
volume ∀ m3 cm3 ft

m=ρ ∀
kg slugs
ρ=1000 =1.94
m3 ft3

B. SPECIFIC WEIGHT ( γ ¿¿ L)¿ (UNIT WEIGHT / WEIGHT DENSITY ) - is the

weight per unit of volume

W mg N lb
γ = = =ρg= =
L
V V m3 ft3

m kN
g=9.81 γ =9.81 (metric )
2 w
s m3

ft
g=32.2 γ =62.4 lb (English)
w
s2 ft3

C. SPECIFIC VOLUME - is the volume per unit of weight

1 m3
V s= =
ρ kg

D. SPECIFIC GRAVITY ( S¿¿ L)¿ - is the ratio of specific weight of liquid in question to
that of water
γL ρL
S= =
L γH O 2
ρH 2
O

SH O =1 2

E. BULK MODULUS OF ELASTICTY - is the incremental change in volume when the

pressure is changed by an incremental amount.

∆P
Stress ∆V
EB= =
Strain V

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β= (coefficient of compressibility)
EB

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 F. VISCOSITY - is the property of fluid which determines its resistance to shearing
stress. It is sometimes called coefficient of viscosity, or dynamic viscosity.

μ=mu
τ
μ=
dV
dy

Where τ = shear stress

dV / dy = velocity gradient

Unit : (N*s)/m2 = Pa * s
1 poise = 0.1Pa*s

G. KINEMATIC VISCOSITY ( ν=nu)−¿ is the ratio of the dynamic viscosity to that of

density

μ
ν=
ρ

H. VAPOR PRESSURE- the pressure exerted by vapor in a closed space

I. SURFACE ENERGY - is the energy per unit area caused by relative forces of cohesion
and adhesion

Example no. 01

A reservoir of glycerin has a mass of 1200kg and a volume of 0.952 m3.

Find:

a. Weight
b. Unit Weight
c. Mass Density
d. Specific Gravity

Example no. 02

A liquid is compressed in a cylinder if it has a volume of 1000 cu.cm (1liter) at 2 Mpa and
has a volume of 990 cu.cm at 2.5 MPa.

a. Compute for the bulk modulus of elasticity

b. Compute the percentage of volume decreased
c. Compute the coefficient of compressibility

Example no. 03

A gas having a volume opf 40 liters has a pressure of 0.24 Mpa at 24 deg. Celcius. If the
gas constant R is equal to 212 M.N/kg.K, compute

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a. density of gas
b. mass of the gas
c. weight of the gas