CHAPTER 1

Properties of Fluids
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
* Experience friction and turbulence in flow
 Fluids

Ideals Fluids Real Fluids

Newtonian Fluids Non-Newtonian Fluids

Pseudoplastic Fluids Delatant Fluids Bingham Fluids

TYPES OF FLUID
MASS DENSITY, (RHO)
The density of a fluid is its mass per unit volume.

mass of fluid, M
= volume,V

SPECIFIC VOLUME,Vs
Specific volume,Vs, is the volume occupied by a unit mass of fluid.

Vs = 1

UNIT WEIGHT OR SPECIFIC WEIGHT,
Specific weight or unit, , is the weight of a unit volume of a fluid.
= weight of fluid
volume,V
=g

SPECIFIC GRAVITY
Specific gravity, s, is a dimensionless ratio of a fluids density to some
standard reference density. For liquids and solids, the reference density
is water 4C (39.2F).

s = liquid
water
VISCOSITY, (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.

=
dV/dY

Capillary rise/depression, h
Bulk modulus of Elasticity, E
KINEMATIC VISCOSITY v (NU)
Kinematic viscosity is the ratio of the dynamic viscosity of the fluid, ,
to its mass density, .
v=

Sample Problems
Example #1 (1-1G). A reservoir of glycerin has a mass of 1200 kg and a
volume of 0.9052 m3. Find its (a)weight, W, (b)unit weight, , (c)mass
density, , (d)specific gravity (s).

Solution:
(a) Weight, W = Mg
= (1,200)(9.81)
= 11,722 N or 11.772 kN
(b) Unit Weight, = W/V
= 11.722/0.952
= 12.366 kN/m3
(c) Density, = M/V
= 1,200/0.952
= 1260.5 kg/m3
(d) Specific Gravity, s = gly / water
= 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/ ; = 1/Vs
= 1/0.7848
= 1.2742 kg/m3
Specific weight, = g
= 1.2742 x 9.81
= 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,

Materials Angle,

Mercury-glass 140

Water-paraffin 107

Water-silver 90

Kerosene-glass 26

Glycerine-glass 19

Water-glass 0

Ethyl alcohol-glass 0
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 = 0.0712
N/m.
Solution:
h = 4 cos where: = 0 for water in glass tube
d
h = 4 (0.0742)
9810(0.009)
h = 0.00336m = 3.36mm

True Static Height = 24 3.36

True Static Height = 20.64mm