FLUID MECHANICS

Hydraulics

Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical
properties of liquids or fluids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid version
of pneumatics. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses
on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics are used for the generation,
control, and transmission of power by the use of pressurized liquids. Hydraulic topics range
through some part of science and most of engineering modules, and cover concepts such as
pipe flow, dam design, fluidics and fluid control
circuitry, pumps, turbines,hydropower, computational fluid dynamics, flow measurement, river
channel behavior and erosion.

Fluid Mechanics

Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics which involves the study

of fluids (liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them. Fluid mechanics can be divided
into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest; and fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces
on fluid motion. It is a branch of continuum mechanics, a subject which models matter without
using the information that it is made out of atoms; that is, it models matter from
a macroscopic viewpoint rather than from microscopic. Fluid mechanics, especially fluid
dynamics, is an active field of research with many problems that are partly or wholly unsolved.
Fluid mechanics can be mathematically complex, and can best be solved by numerical methods,
typically using computers. A modern discipline, called computational fluid dynamics (CFD), is
devoted to this approach to solving fluid mechanics problems. Particle image velocimetry, an
experimental method for visualizing and analyzing fluid flow, also takes advantage of the highly
visual nature of fluid flow.

Hydrology

Hydrology is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on
Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental
watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is a hydrologist, working within the fields
of earth or environmental science, physical geography, geology or civil and environmental
engineering.

Hydrology is subdivided into surface water hydrology, groundwater hydrology (hydrogeology),

and marine hydrology. Domains of hydrology include hydrometeorology, surface
hydrology, hydrogeology, drainage basinmanagement and water quality, where water plays the
central role.
Oceanography and meteorology are not included because water is only one of many important
aspects within those fields.

General Properties of fluids

Properties of fluids determine how fluids can be used in engineering and technology. They also
determine the behaviour of fluids in fluid mechanics. The following are some of the important
basic properties of fluids:
1.
Density
2.
Viscosity
3.
Temperature
4.
Pressure
5.
Specific Volume
6.
Specific Weight
7.
Specific Gravity
1. Density:
Density is the mass per unit volume of a fluid. In other words, it is the ratio between mass (m) and volume (V) of a
fluid.
Density is denoted by the symbol . Its unit is kg/m3.

In general, density of a fluid decreases with increase in temperature. It increases with increase in pressure.
The ideal gas equation is given by:

The above equation is used to find the density of any fluid, if the pressure (P) and temperature (T) are known.
Note: The density of standard liquid (water) is 1000 kg/m3.
2. Viscosity
Viscosity is the fluid property that determines the amount of resistance of the fluid to shear stress. It is the property
of the fluid due to which the fluid offers resistance to flow of one layer of the fluid over another adjacent layer.
In a liquid, viscosity decreases with increase in temperature. In a gas, viscosity increases with increase in
temperature.
Viscosity Animation Video
3. Temperature:
It is the property that determines the degree of hotness or coldness or the level of heat intensity of a fluid.
Temperature is measured by using temperature scales.There are 3 commonly used temperature scales. They are
1.
Celsius (or centigrade) scale
2.
Fahrenheit scale
3.
Kelvin scale (or absolute temperature scale)
Kelvin scale is widely used in engineering. This is because, this scale is independent of properties of a substance.
4. Pressure:
Pressure of a fluid is the force per unit area of the fluid. In other words, it is the ratio of force on a fluid to the area of
the fluid held perpendicular to the direction of the force.
Pressure is denoted by the letter P. Its unit is N/m2.
5. Specific Volume:
Specific volume is the volume of a fluid (V) occupied per unit mass (m). It is the reciprocal of density.
Specific volume is denoted by the symbol v. Its unit is m3/kg.

6. Specific Weight:
Specific weight is the weight possessed by unit volume of a fluid. It is denoted by w. Its unit is N/m 3.
Specific weight varies from place to place due to the change of acceleration due to gravity (g).

7. Specific Gravity:
Specific gravity is the ratio of specific weight of the given fluid to the specific weight of standard fluid. It is denoted
by the letter S. It has no unit.

Specific gravity may also be defined as the ratio between density of the given fluid to the density of standard fluid.

What is a Fluid?
Fluid is a substance which can flow. Technically the flow of any substance
means a continuous relative motion between different particles of the
substance. Now, how and why does a fluid flow? The answer to "how" is the
continuous relative motion between the particles of the fluid when shear
force is acting on it. And the answer to "why" is the particles of fluid move
past each other when shear force is applied because they cannot resist the
shear force, i.e., they are inelastic to shear stress. A fluid can deform under
shear stress indefinitely without returning to its original position.

Properties of Fluids
The term fluid includes both liquid and gases. The main difference between a
liquid and a gas is that the volume of a liquid remains definite because it
takes the shape of the surface on or in which it comes into contact, whereas
a gas occupies the complete space available in the container in which it is
kept. In hydraulics in civil engineering, the fluid for consideration is liquid, so,
we will examine some terms and properties of the liquids.
Mass Density: It is the mass of the fluid per unit volume. It unit is kg per
cubic meter.
Specific Weight: It is the weight per unit volume of the fluid. This quantity
depends on the gravitational force of the place where the fluid is kept. The
units for it are newton per cubic meter.
Specific Volume: It is the volume occupied by the unit mass of the fluid. Its
unit is cubic meter per kg.
Relative Density or Specific Gravity: It is defined as the ratio of mass
density of the fluid concerned and the mass density of water at standard
pressure and temperature, i.e., 4 degrees Celsius and atmospheric pressure.
Viscosity: Viscosity is the property of fluid which defines the interaction
between the moving particles of the fluid. It is the measure of resistance to
the flow of fluids. The viscous force is due to the intermolecular forces acting
in the fluid. The flow or rate of deformation of fluids under shear stress is
different for different fluids due to the difference in viscosity. Fluids with high
viscosity deform slowly.
Compressibility: When pressure is applied on a fluid, its volume decreases.
This property of a fluid is called compressibility.
Elasticity: When the force generating the pressure on the fluid, is released it
returns to its original volume. This property of a fluid is called elasticity of the
fluid.
Vapor Pressure: Molecules of a liquid escape from its surface to fill the
space above the liquid surface and the container until such time when the

pressure due to these molecules above the liquid surface reaches the vapor
pressure of the liquid. This is how the vapor pressure of a liquid is defined.
Surface Tension: The molecules on the surface of a liquid, that is, the
interface between the liquid and the air are bound together by a week force
called surface tension. This force makes the liquid form a layer and is caused
due to the cohesive force between the molecules of the liquid.
Capillarity: The molecules of a liquid have two types of forces acting on
them. One is, cohesive force, the force among the molecules of the liquid
only, and the other one is adhesive force, the force acting between the
molecules of the liquid and some other substance. When the adhesion
between the liquid and the container wall is more than the cohesion among
the liquid molecules, the liquid sticks to the container walls and this results in
capillary rise. The opposite of this behavior happens when the cohesion is
more than the adhesion - the capillary level dips.