Fluid Mechanics

What you'll learn

• Define a fluid, apply the continuum model, and use density, specific weight, viscosity, bulk modulus, surface tension and vapor pressure in engineering calculations.
• Apply the hydrostatic equation, convert between absolute and gauge pressure and pressure heads, and read piezometers, U-tube, differential and inclined manometers.
• Calculate the resultant hydrostatic force and center of pressure on plane surfaces, and the horizontal and vertical forces on curved surfaces and tank walls.
• Apply Archimedes' principle to floating and submerged bodies, and assess stability using the centers of gravity and buoyancy and the metacentric height.
• Describe flows in Eulerian and Lagrangian terms, compute local and convective acceleration, and distinguish streamlines, pathlines and streaklines.
• Apply conservation of mass to steady and unsteady flows, including junctions, filling and draining tanks and chemical dosing balances.
• Apply the Bernoulli equation along a streamline, draw energy and hydraulic grade lines, and judge when the equation's assumptions fail.
• Calculate flow rates from venturi, orifice and nozzle meters with discharge coefficients, and compare the principles and installation needs of other flow meters.
• Apply the linear momentum equation to control volumes to find forces on bends, reducers, nozzles, dead ends and plates struck by jets.
• Apply the energy equation with pump head, turbine head and head loss, and calculate pump and turbine power, efficiency and pumping energy.
• Determine the flow regime from the Reynolds number and calculate friction losses with the Darcy-Weisbach equation, the laminar formula and the Colebrook equation.
• Combine friction and minor losses into system curves, find pump operating points, apply the affinity laws, and check the net positive suction head.