Conservation of Linear Momentum

• Newton’s second law of motion for a system is

Time rate of change of = Sum of external
the linear momentum forces acting on
of the system the system
D
 V dv   Fsys
Dt sys

i.e. rate of change of linear momentum results in

forces or vice versa
 Conservation of Linear Momentum
• Any reference or coordinate system for which this
statement is true is called inertial
• A fixed coordinate system is inertial
• A coordinate system that moves in a straight line
with constant velocity and is thus without
acceleration is also inertial
• We will now develop the CV formula for this
important law
 Conservation of Linear Momentum
• When a control volume is coincident with a system
at an instant of time, the forces acting on the
system and the forces acting on the contents of the
coincident control volume are instantaneously
identical, i.e.
F sys   Fcontents of
coincidental CV
 Conservation of Linear Momentum
• With Bsys : System Momentum (mV) and b : V, the
RTT can be written as
D 
Dt sys
V dv 
t CV
V dv  
CS
V V  nˆ dA

Time rate of Time rate of Net rate of

change of the change of the flow of linear
= linear
+ momentum
linear
momentum of momentum of through the
the system the Control Control Surface
Volume
 Conservation of Linear Momentum
• So, for a fixed CV, the above eqn can be written in
the following form and is called ‘Linear Momentum
Eqn’.

 V dv   V V  nˆ dA   Fcontents of
t CV CS
(5.22) coincidental CV
 Conservation of Linear Momentum

 V dv   V V  nˆ dA   Fcontents of
t CV CS coincidental CV
• As particles move into or out of the CV thru the
control surface, they carry linear momentum into or
out of the CV
• Thus 5.22 can be written as

 V dv   Vout  out AoutVout   Vin  in AinVin  F
Contents of CV
t CV
 Conservation of Linear Momentum

 V dv   V  A V   V  A V   F
out out out out in in in in Contents of CV
t CV

• For steady flow, the total amount of momentum

within CV is constant w.r.t time, so
 Vout out AoutVout   Vin in AinVin   FContents of CV
• This form of linear momentum eqn is restricted to
steady flows thru fixed, non-deforming CV, with
velocity normal to inlet & outlet
Note : The momentum problems considered in this
chapter all involve steady flow
 Conservation of Linear Momentum
V out  out AoutVout   Vin  in AinVin  F
Contents of CV

• The forces involved in here are the body and surface

forces
• The only body force we consider in this
chapter are the ones associated with
action of gravity i.e. Weight
• The surface forces act on the surfaces
of CV such as Pressure, Viscous Shear
Forces etc.
 Application of Linear Momentum Equation –
Some Generalities
1. Linear momentum is directional; it can have components in as many as three
orthogonal coordinate directions. Furthermore, along any one coordinate, the
linear momentum of a fluid particle can be in the positive or negative direction
and thus be considered as a positive or a negative quantity. In Example above,
only the linear momentum in the z-direction was considered (all of it was in the
negative z-direction).
2. The correct algebraic sign (+ or -) to assign to momentum
flow will depend on the sense of velocity and the V.n product
 Application of Linear Momentum Equation –
Some Generalities
3. The time rate of change of the linear momentum of the contents of a non-
deforming control volume is zero for steady flow. The momentum problems
considered in this text all involve steady flow.
4. If the control surface is selected so that it is perpendicular to the flow where
fluid enters or leaves the control volume, the surface force exerted at these
locations by fluid outside the control volume on fluid inside will be due to
pressure. Furthermore, when subsonic flow exits from a control volume into the
atmosphere, atmospheric pressure prevails at the exit cross section. In Example,
the flow was subsonic and so we set the exit flow pressure at the atmospheric
level
 Application of Linear Momentum Equation –
Some Generalities
5. When calculating the anchoring force, FA, forces due to atmospheric pressure
on the control surface cancel each other and gage pressures may be used
6. The external forces have an algebraic sign, positive if the force is in the
assigned positive coordinate direction and negative otherwise
7. Only external forces acting on the contents of the control volume are
considered in the linear momentum equation. If the fluid and the wetted surface
or surfaces are within the control volume, the reaction forces between fluid and
wetted surface(s) do not appear in the linear momentum equation because they
are internal, not external, forces.
 Application of Linear Momentum Equation –
Some Generalities
8. The force required to anchor an object will generally exist in response to
surface pressure and/or shear forces acting on the control surface, due to a
change in linear momentum flow through the control volume containing the
object, and to the weight of the object and the fluid contained in the control
volume. In above Example the nozzle anchoring force was required mainly
because of pressure forces and partly because of a change in linear momentum
flow associated with accelerating the fluid in the nozzle. The weight of the water
and the nozzle contained in the control volume influenced the size of the
anchoring force only slightly.