Unit Description and General Aims

The objective in presenting this unit is to provide students with detailed knowledge of the principles and practices governing the field of fluid mechanics. 

The unit will include: basic fluid properties and laws governing fluid statics; principal concepts and methods of fluid kinematics and dynamics; fluid system flow analysis utilising the Continuity, Bernoulli, and Momentum equations; flow system analysis including boundary layer concepts and modelling based on dimensional analysis. Students will also undertake a project work involving modelling (for example, computational fluid dynamics).

At the conclusion of this unit, students will have been imparted with the requisite knowledge to comprehend, distinguish, and apply the principles and practices governing the field of fluid mechanics in their future work.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this Unit, students are expected to be able to:

1. Evaluate fluid properties and make a distinction between ideal, real, Newtonian, and non-Newtonian fluids.
   Bloom’s Level 5

2. Identify and apply concepts related to statics and fluid flow dynamics.
   Bloom’s Level 3

3. Perform detailed flow system analysis
   Bloom’s Level 4

4. Apply the boundary layer and compressible flow concepts
   Bloom’s Level 3

5. Perform dimensional analysis to solve problems in fluid mechanics
   Bloom’s Level 4

Student assessment

Overall requirements: Students must achieve a result of 40% or above in the exam itself to pass the exam, and must pass the exam to be able to pass the unit. An overall final unit score of 50% or above must be achieved to pass the unit assessment.

Prescribed and Recommended readings

Textbook

D. F. Elger, B. A. LeBret, C. T. Crowe, J. A. Roberson, Engineering Fluid Mechanics, 12th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, 2019. ISBN 978-0470259771

Reference 

Graebel, WP 2001, Engineering Fluid Mechanics, International Student Edition, CRC Press, ISBN-13: 978-1560327110

Massey, BS 1998, Mechanics of Fluids, 7th edn, CRC Press, ISBN-13: 978-0748740437

Journal, website

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/fluid-mechanics-t_21.html

www.learnerstv.com/Free-Engineering-Video-lectures-ltv078-Page1.htm

Notes and Reference texts

IDC Technologies

Other material advised during the lectures

Unit Content

One topic is delivered per contact week, with the exception of part-time 24-week units, where one topic is delivered every two weeks.

Topic 1

Fluid Properties 

1. Ideal and real fluids

2. Continuum concept

3. Properties of fluids – mass density, weight density, specific volume, specific gravity, viscosity, surface tension, capillarity, vapour pressure, compressibility, bulk modulus 

4. Vapour pressure and cavitation

5. Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids

6. Engineering Analysis

Topic 2

 Fluid Statics

1. Pressure and Pascal’s law

2. Pressure measurement

3. Hydrostatic force on submerged plane and curved surface

Topic 3

Buoyancy

1. Buoyancy and flotation

2. Archimedes principle

3. Equilibrium of floating and submerged bodies

4. Determination of metacentric height

Topic 4

Fluid Kinematics 

1. Fluid flow, fluid motion, flow lines

2. Continuity equation

3. Velocity and acceleration

4. Velocity potential function and stream function

5. Introduction to Navier Stokes Equation

Topic 5

Fluid Dynamics

1. Euler’s equation of motion

2. Bernoulli’s equation and its practical application

3. Fluid Flow Measurements: Venturimeter, orifice meter, pitot-tube, orifice meter, notches

4. Impulse momentum equations

5. Kinetic energy and momentum correction factor

Topic 6

Laminar Flow and Viscous Effects

1. Reynold’s number

2. Shear stress and pressure gradient relationship

3. Laminar flow through circular pipe-Hagen Poiseuille’s equation

4. Laminar flow between parallel and stationary plates

Topic 7

 Flow through Conduits and Flow Measurement

1. Minor losses through pipes

2. Darcy’s and Chezy’s equation for loss of head due to friction in pipes

3. Pipes in parallel and pipe networks

4. Hydraulic Grade Line and Energy Grade Line

5. Flow Measurement

Topic 8

Flow Past Immersed Bodies and Boundary Layer Concept

1. Drag and lift

2. Displacement, momentum, and energy thickness

3. Concept of boundary layer and definition of boundary layer thickness

4. Analysis of laminar and turbulent boundary layers

5. Boundary layer separation and control

Topic 9

Compressible fluid flow

1. Velocity of sound in a fluid

2. Sonic velocity 

3. Mach number and Mach cone

4. Propagation of sound waves in a compressible fluid.

5. Sonic Velocity for Case of Adiabatic Ideal Gas

Topic 10

Dimensional Analysis

1. Methods of and need for dimensional analysis

2. Types of similitude

3. Common variable groups

4. Buckingham’s theorem

5. Limitations 

6. Model analysis

Topic 11

Dimensional Analysis-cont.

1. Dimensionless numbers and their significance

2. Model laws – Reynold’s model law, Froude’s model law, Euler’s model law, Weber’s model law, Mach’s Model law

Topic 12

Open Channel Flow and Unit Review

• Define an open channel, uniform flow and nonuniform flow
• Calculate the hydraulic radius and the Reynolds number; the criteria for laminar and turbulent flow
• Unit review

Software/Hardware Used

Software

• Software: Ansys Fluent 
• Version: N/A
• Instructions:  In the Remote Labs
• Additional resources or files: N/A

Hardware

• N/A

Unit Changes Based on Student Feedback