CHAPTER 1

Properties of Fluids
Chapter Objectives
1. Introduce many of the quantities
encountered in fluid mechanics including
their dimensions and units.
2. Identify the liquids to be considered in
this course/subject.
3. Introduce the fluid properties of interest.
4. Present thermodynamics laws and
associated quantities.
FLUID MECHANICS & HYDRAULICS
* Fluid Mechanics - is a physical science
dealing with the action of fluids at rest
or in motion.
* Fluid Statics - which deals with fluids at rest.
* Fluid dynamics - concerned with fluids in
motion.
* Hydrodynamics - is applied to the flow of
liquids or low-velocity gas flows where
the gas can be considered as being
essentially incompressible.
* Hydraulics - deals with the application of
fluid mechanics to engineering devices
involving liquids, usually water or oil.
TYPES OF FLUID
Fluids are generally divided into two categories: ideal
fluids and the real fluids.

Ideal fluids
* Assumed to have no viscosity (and hence, no
resistance to shear)
* Incompressible
* Have uniform velocity when flowing
* No friction between moving layers of fluid
* No eddy currents or turbulence
Real fluids
* Exhibit infinite viscosities
* Non-uniform velocity distribution when flowing
* Compressible
 Fluids
TYPES OF
FLUID
Ideals Fluids Real Fluids

Newtonian Non-Newtonian
Fluids Fluids

Pseudoplastic
Delatant Fluids Bingham Fluids
Fluids
MASS DENSITY, ρ (RHO)
The density of a fluid is its mass per unit volume.

mass of fluid, M
ρ volume, V
=

SPECIFIC VOLUME, Vs
Specific volume, Vs, is the volume occupied by a unit
mass of fluid.
Vs = 1
ρ
UNIT WEIGHT OR SPECIFIC WEIGHT, γ
Specific weight or unit, γ, is the weight of a unit volume
of a fluid. γ = weight of fluid
volume, V
γ=ρg

SPECIFIC GRAVITY
Specific gravity, s, is a dimensionless ratio of a fluid’s
density to some standard reference density. For liquids
and solids, the reference density is water 4ᵒC (39.2ᵒF).
s = ρ liquid
ρ water
VISCOSITY, µ (MU) (absolute or dynamic
viscosity)
The property of a fluid which determines the amount of its
resistance to shearing forces. A perfect fluid would have
no viscosity.   Μ= _
dV/dY

Capillary rise/depression, h = 4 σcosθ γd

where: θ = 0 for water in glass tube
v=µ
Bulk modulus of Elasticity, E ρ
KINEMATIC VISCOSITY v (NU)
Kinematic viscosity is the ratio of the dynamic viscosity of
the fluid, µ, to its mass density, ρ.
Sample
Problems
Example #1 (1-1G). A reservoir of glycerin has a mass of
1200 kg and a volume of 0.9052 m3. Find it’s (a)weight, W,
(b)unit weight, γ, (c)mass density, ρ, (d)specific gravity (s).

Solution:
(a) Weight, W = Mg
= (1,200)(9.81)
= 11,722 N or 11.772 kN
(b) Unit Weight, γ = W/V
= 11.722/0.952
γ = 12.366 kN/m3
(c) Density, ρ = M/V
= 1,200/0.952
ρ = 1260.5 kg/m3
(d) Specific Gravity, s = ρgly / ρwater
= 1,260.5/1,000
s = 1.26
Example #2 (1-6G). If the specific volume of
a certain gas is 0.7848 m3/kg, what is its
specific weight?

Solution:
Vs = 1/ρ ; ρ = 1/Vs
= 1/0.7848
ρ = 1.2742 kg/m3
Specific weight, γ= ρ g
= 1.2742 x 9.81
γ = 12.5 N/m3
Example #3 (1-15G). Water in a hydraulic
press, initially at 137kPa absolute, is
subjected to a pressure of 116,280 kPa
absolute. Using Eb = 2.5GPa, determine the
percentage decrease in the volume of water.
Solution:
Eb = - dP /(dV/V)
2.5x109 = - (116,280 – 137) x103
(dV/V)
dV/V = - 0.0465 (negative sign means
decreasing)
dV/V = 4.65% decrease
 TABLE 1-3: Contact Angles, θ

Materials Angle, θ

Mercury-glass 140ᵒ

Water-paraffin 107ᵒ

Water-silver 90ᵒ

Kerosene-glass 26ᵒ

Glycerine-glass 19ᵒ

Water-glass 0ᵒ

Ethyl alcohol-glass 0ᵒ
Example #4 (1-25G). Distilled water
stands in a glass tube of 9mm
diameter at a height of 24mm. What is
the true static height? Use σ = 0.0712
N/m.
Solution:
h = 4 σcosθ where: θ = 0 for water in glass tube
γd
h = 4 (0.0742)
9810(0.009)
h = 0.00336m = 3.36mm

True Static Height = 24 – 3.36

True Static Height = 20.64mm
Thermodynamic
Firstlaw of thermodynamics or
the conservation of ________?
Thermodynamic properties,
quantities that define the state of
a system, either depend on the
system’s mass or are
independent of the mass.
Extensive and intensive property