Fluid Properties
Elger et al. textbook,
Chapter 2
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Elger et al, Chap. 2 HES2340 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 1
Contents of this lecture
2.a. Density Elger 2.1
2.b. Compressibility all fluids Elger 2.5
2.c. Compressibility gases Elger 2.2
2.d. Compressibility liquids Elger 2.5
2.e. Viscosity Elger 2.4
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 2
Properties
Any characteristic of a system is called a property
Intensive (local) properties
independent of the size or mass of the system, e.g. temperature,
pressure, and density. They can vary with space.
Extensive (global) properties
depend on the size or mass of the system. e.g. total mass, total
volume, total energy
Extensive properties per unit mass are called specific
properties Examples include specific volume v = V/M and
specific total energy e=E/M
Sometimes the word specific means per unit volume
In either case, if the word specific is used, it converts extensive
to intensive
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 3
Density: definition
Density is the mass per unit volume,
Inverse of the specific volume
Density is an intensive property of the fluid
air 1.2 kg/m3, H2O 998 kg/m3, Hg 13,600 kg/m3
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 4
Density
For liquids, the density depends weakly on temperature, and
is determined by measurement but for gases, the density
depends strongly on temperature we will learn more in a
few slides!
Density has dimensions of mass / volume i.e. [ML-3]
Specific weight is the gravitational force per unit volume,
g
Specific gravity or SG is the density relative to pure water
SGHg = 13.6
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 5
Density: incompressibility
For incompressible flows of one fluid, the density can often
be taken as constant throughout the flow
A very useful assumption in the majority of situations
It is not valid when:
There are important temperature gradients
The flow is very fast (where acoustic waves are important),
when the Mach number Ma > 0.3
Here,
variations in
density (due
to
temperature
differences)
create the
fluid flow
Shock waves formed as Ma>1
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 6
Compressibility: all fluids
Expansion
Compression
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 7
Compressibility: all fluids
The Bulk Modulus of any substance (solid, liquid, or
gas) tells us how much it resists being compressed or
expanded
Since we want this to be general, express
it in terms of density instead of volume ...
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 8
Compressibility: all fluids
The Bulk modulus is a
intrinsic property
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 9
Compressibility: gases
The Ideal Gas Law, like the bulk modulus, relates the
stress we apply to a gas to the amount it compresses or
expands
Again, we want this to be
general, so express in terms of
density instead of volume ...
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 10
Compressibility: liquids
As noted in Lecture 1, there is a big difference between gases and
liquids
The ideal gas law is from a theory, but for liquids, there is no exact
theory
If liquids are not very hot and not under very high
pressures, the bulk modulus approximately
gives the relation between pressure and %
compression
For high water temperatures, can use Table A5 in
Elger et al.
For high pressures (e.g. deep in the ocean) use
the liquid equation of state, e.g. Richard Manasseh
http://www2.sese.uwa.edu.au/~hollings/pilot/denscalc.html
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 11
Viscosity
Two broad classes of fluids exist depending on the relationship
between shear stress () and the rate of shear strain (u/y)
Newtonian fluids: a linear relationship. Air and water are
Newtonian fluids (and we will only consider Newtonian fluids in
this course)
Non-Newtonian fluids: all other relationships
The study of this relationship is known as rheology
The non-linearity often comes from the presence of impurities in
the fluid (dust, grit, powder, polymer, etc.) Lots of engineering
applications (slurries, mining tailings, paint, food processing,
blood, etc.)
,u
Apply stress,
Measure rate of strain,
u/y
Elger et al, Chap. 2 HES2340 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 12
Viscosity
Shear
thickening
Shear
thinning
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 13
Viscosity: Newtonian fluids
The viscosity relates shear stress to
the rate of shear strain
Usually a constant property of the
fluid (not the flow)
Viscosity varies with temperature
True, or dynamic viscosity (mu)
has dimensions of stress/(rate of
strain) or stress time = [ML-1T-1]
Kinematic viscosity (nu) is the
dynamic viscosity / fluid density. It
has dimensions of stress/(rate of
strain density) = [L2T-1]
http://www.sciencephoto.com/images/showFullWatermarked.html/T1105
05-Lubricating_oil-SPL.jpg?id=841100505
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 14
Viscosity: Newtonian fluids
The viscosity relates shear stress to the rate of shear strain
Shear stress, , tau, is the force/area on a surface when the force
is parallel to the surface
Shear strain is the angle, , that the fluid element gets tilted by
the shear stress
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 15
Viscosity: Newtonian fluids
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 16
Viscosity: not all fluids are Newtonian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2XQ97XHjVw
Elger et al, Chap. 1 MEE20003 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 17
Summary of Lecture
2.a. Density is a key property, often assumed constant, Elger 2.1
but sometimes its variations drive the flow; and
sometimes the flow makes the density vary (shocks)
2.b. All fluids have some compressibility: an increase in Elger 2.5
density with an increase in pressure the higher the
bulk modulus, the less compressible it is
2.c. For gases, compression can make the temperature Elger 2.2
vary as well as the density
2.d. Liquid compressibility is approximated by a constant Elger 2.5
bulk modulus, but at high temperature or pressures,
need to use a table
2.e. Viscosity is a key property, often assumed constant Elger 2.4
or negligible, but can vary with temperature and for
some fluids, viscosity varies with the flow (non-
Newtonian)
Elger et al, Chap. 2 HES2340 Fluid Mechanics 1 Week 1, Lecture 1.2, Slide 18
