Introduction to

Fluid Mechanics, Fluids, Types of

Flows and Dimensional Analysis
By: Engr. Waseem Shah
CED, UET-P
Lecture-01
CE-212 Fluid Mechanics-II
Contents
• Setting tone for the course
• Introduction
• Types of flows
• Dimensional Analysis
• Similitude
• Non-Dimensional Numbers
• Dimensional Analysis Revisited

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Recommended Books
1. Fluid Mechanics with Engineering Applications Finnemore, E.J. and
Franzini, J. B. (1997)., Tenth Edition. McGraw-Hill, New York.
2. A Brief Introduction to Fluid Mechanics by Young Munson Okiishi
Huesbsc, 5th edition
3. Fluid Mechanics Fundamentals and Applications by Yunus A. Cengel
and John M. Cimbala

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Setting up for the course

INDUS & ZANSKAR

RIVER CONFLUENCE

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Setting up for the course

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Setting up for the course

You may be involved in

uprising the areas of
minimum economic
activity by distributing
waters from indus river
system. Most likely you
will use Fluid Mechanics.
Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P
Setting up for the course

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Setting up for the course

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Setting up for the course
• Mechanism of fluids are dealt at
the very entrance of treatable
water into the treatment plant
until exiting it. Fluid Mechanics
can help you.
• Strokes law in sedimentation,
pumps required, high
pressurized flows in pipes,
back-washing of sand filters,
different appurtenances used
and hence designed according
to fluid mechanics principles

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Setting up for the course

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Setting up for the course

Shape of vehicle does matter and thus maintenance cost

of the transportation project. Fluid mechanics can help
you.

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Setting up for the course

Water sports Cycling Auto racing

Surface ships Submarines Surfing

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Introduction
• What is fluid mechanics? Lets defragment the very word ‘fluid mechanics’.
• Fluid: Recall from physics that a substance exists in three primary phases:
solid, liquid, and gas. (At very high temperatures, it also exists as plasma.)
• A substance in the liquid or gas phase is referred to as a fluid.
• A substance which deforms continuously under the action of shearing forces,
however small they may be.
• If a fluid is at rest, there can be no shearing forces, all forces in the fluid must
be perpendicular to the planes upon which they act.

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Introduction
• It is the intermolecular forces that change the state of matter from solid through
fluid and plasma.
• The energy of particles do affect these forces, the higher the energy the lesser the
attractive forces.
• Types of Fluids
• Ideal/inviscid Fluid: A fluid in which there is no friction, i.e. a fluid with zero viscosity.
• Real Fluids: In real fluids, either liquid or gas, tangential or shearing forces always develop
whenever there is motion relative to a body, thus creating fluid friction. Viscosity is a property
attributed to real fluids.
• Incompressible fluids: Liquids or gases with constant density in a process. Generally, liquids
may be considered incompressible. The flow of air in a ventilating system is a case where we
may treat a gas as incompressible, for change in pressure is so small, that density doesn’t
change.
• Compressible fluids: Liquids or gases with variable density in a process. In problems involving
water hammer we consider compressibility of liquids.

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Introduction
• Real Fluids are of engineering
importance.

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Introduction

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Introduction
• Mechanics: is the physical science that deals with both stationary and moving bodies under the
influence of forces.
• The branch of mechanics that deals with bodies at rest is called Statics, while the branch that deals
with bodies in motion is called Dynamics.
• Hence fluid mechanics is defined as the science that deals with the behavior of fluids at rest (fluid
statics) or in motion (fluid dynamics), and the interaction of fluids with solids or other fluids at the
boundaries.
• Fluid mechanics is based on the same fundamental principles as that of Mechanics of Solids.
• Fluid Mechanics can be divided into three branches:
• Fluid Statics: studies fluids at rest.
• Fluid Dynamics: concerned with relations between velocities and accelerations and the forces exerted by or
upon fluids in motion.
• Kinematics: deals with velocities and fluid flows without considering forces or energy.
• Hydraulics: Study of real liquids.
• Hydrodynamics: Branch of science (largely a subject of Mathematics) dealing with the dynamics of
ideal fluids in motion.
Fluid Mechanics = Hydrodynamics + Hydraulics
Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P
Approaches to Fluid Mechanics
• Analytical Fluid Dynamics: Mathematical analysis of governing equations, including exact
and approximate solutions.
• Experimental Fluid Dynamics: Dimensional analysis is very important in designing a model
experiment (in lab) which represents physics of actual problem. Experiments are sometimes
conducted in the field or at full scale.
• Computational Fluid Dynamics: Numerical solution of the governing equations.
AFD EFD CFD

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Scope of Fluid Mechanics
• Usual in observation is the movement of clouds, flight of birds through air,
waves impeding sea shores, flow of water in streams and so on, fluid
mechanics phenomena are always party to them.
• A knowledge of fluid mechanics is required to properly design;
• Water supply systems, Sewerage systems, Wastewater treatment facilities,
• Dam spillways, valves, aircrafts, ships, submarines, rockets, windmills, turbines,
pumps, HVAC systems,
• Buildings susceptible to windloads (like steel structures), hydraulic jacks, civil engg.
Construction machinery (like cranes, excavators),
• Hydraulic structures (like dams, sluice gates, weirs, barrages), penstocks, Sui-gas
supply lines, open-channels (like canals), culverts, cross drainage works (syphon,
aqueducts), flumes and so on.
• Irrigation, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, chemical plants, public
health engineering etc directly or indirectly employ fluid mechanics.
Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P
Fluid Flow Classification
• Since fluid can flow when subjected to shear stresses, which can be produce
in a variety of ways like due to gravitational pulls or pressures applied etc.
• The fluid flows may be in different ways for a given fluid, namely;
• Steady Flow: In steady flow all properties (flow rate,
velocity, shear stress, velocity head, pressure head
etc.) of the flow at every point remain constant with
respect to time. Laminar flows are steady flows.
• Unsteady Flow: The flow properties change with
time at a given point, e.g. Waves hitting the beach,
natural streams when flooded.

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Fluid Flow Classification
• Pressure Flow: Flow occurs under pressure, e.g. pipe flowing full.
• Gravity flow: Flow occurs due to gravitational pull, e.g. pipe flowing partly
full. Gravity flow occurs in liquids and very rare for gases.
• Uniform flow: The cross section (shape and area) through which the flow
occurs remains constant, also velocity remains constant both in magnitude
and direction, e.g. flow through a pipe of constant diameter.
• Non-uniform/varied flow: flow through a
conical pipe.
• Incompressible flow: Density of fluid remains
constant while flowing.
• Compressible flow: Density of fluid varies while
flowing.  ρ=ρ(𝑷,𝑻)

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Fluid Flow Classification
• Laminar/viscous flow: fluid moves along smooth paths, viscosity damps any
tendency to swirl or mix.
• Turbulent: fluid moves in
very irregular paths with
efficient mixing & velocity
at a point fluctuates.
• Laminar and turbulent
flows are predicted by
Reynolds number.
• Transition flow occurs
when laminar flow changes
into turbulent flow.

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Fluid Flow Classification
• Other flows are:
• Subcritical and supercritical
flows
• Subsonic and supersonic
flows
• Rotational or irrotational flow
• One dimensional, 2D or 3D
• Axisymmetric flows

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Dimensional Analysis
• Dimensional Analysis: It is a pure mathematical technique to establish a
relationship between physical quantities involved in a fluid phenomenon by
considering their dimensions. Two methods are generally adopted;
• Rayleigh’s Method
• Buckingam Pi-Theorem
• Dimensional Analysis helps us:
• To generate nondimensional (e.g., the Reynolds number and the Froude number)
parameters that help in the design of experiments (physical and/or numerical) and in
the reporting of experimental results
• To obtain scaling laws so that prototype performance can be predicted from model
performance
• To predict trends in the relationship between parameters
• It uses laws of similitude, which are explained in next slides.
Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P
Dimensional Analysis

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Similitude/Similarity
• To further detail Dimensional Analysis lets first understand Similitude.
• Similitude: It is a concept for predicting performance of a prototype by
conducting experimentations on an equivalent model.
• Prototype is a full-sized or original, device or apparatus or a structure (e.g. a
hydraulic structure such as a spillway).
• The model size may be equal to its prototype but the conditions around it
may be scaled down or up (e.g. changing velocity of fluid flow).
• The model may be larger or smaller than its prototype.
• To make a model similar/equivalent to its prototype, three types of
similarities are used:
• Geometric similarity
• Kinematic similarity
• Dynamic Similarity
Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P
Similitude/Similarity
• Geometric Similarity: The model must be the same shape as the prototype,
but may be scaled by some constant scale factor.
• Lr=Lp/Lm where Lr is a constant factor, Lp is a linear dimension of prototype and Lm is
that of the model.
• For Area=Lr2 and Volume= Lr3

Lp1
Lm1

Lp2 Lm2
Prototype Model
Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P
Similitude/Similarity
• No small animals in the polar regions-why?

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Similitude/Similarity
• Kinematic Similarity: This means that the velocity at any point in the model
flow must be proportional (by a constant scale factor) to the velocity at the
corresponding point in the prototype flow.
• Vr=Vp/Vm where Vr is a constant factor, Vp is velocity in prototype at a given point and
Vm is that of the model.
• Vr= Lr/Tr
• Ar=Lr/Tr2
• Notice that if Lr is 30 then prototype is 30 times larger than its model. What
about Vr and Ar?

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Similitude/Similarity
• Dynamic Similarity: Dynamic similarity is
achieved when all forces in the model
flow scale by a constant factor to corresp-
onding forces in the prototype flow
(force-scale equivalence).
• The forces that may act on a fluid element
include those due to pressure (Fp), gravity
(FG), Viscosity (FV), elasticity (FE), Inertial (FI).
• Fr=FGp/ FGm = FPp/ FPm = FVp/ FVm = FIp/ FIm
•  FIm / FGm= FIp/ FGp = (Frd)m= (Frd)p
• Where Frd is Frouds Number.
•  FIm/ FVm = FIp/ FVp= (Re)m= (Re)p
• Where Re is Reynolds Number.
Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P
Similitude/Similarity
• In a general flow field, complete similarity
between a model and prototype is achieved
only when there is geometric, kinematic, and
dynamic similarity.

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Non Dimensional Numbers
• Nondimensional Numbers: Nondimensional numbers have no physical units
and thus dimensionless. They are very important in model studies.

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Dimensional Analysis

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Example: Similarity between Model and Prototype
Cars
• The aerodynamic drag of a new sports car is to be predicted at a speed of
50.0 mi/h at an air temperature of 25°C. Automotive engineers build a one-
fifth scale model of the car to test in a wind tunnel. It is winter and the wind
tunnel is located in an unheated building; the temperature of the wind
tunnel air is only about 5°C. Determine how fast the engineers should run
the wind tunnel in order to achieve similarity between the model and the
prototype.

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Example: Similarity between Model and Prototype
Cars
• SOLUTION: We are to utilize the concept of similarity to determine the speed
of the wind tunnel.

= (due to dynamic, kinematic and

geometric similarity)
This speed is quite
high (about 100
m/s), and the wind
tunnel may not be
able to run at that
speed.
Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P
Dimensional Analysis Revisited
• Rayleigh’s Method is the basic and simple procedure usually adopted in
dimensional analysis.
• Buckingham Pi-theorem shall be presented later on.
• Principle of Dimensional Homogeneity (PDH): is used in dimensional analysis,
which states that all terms in an equation must have the same dimensions.
• Dimensional Analysis is a powerful tool to develop equations for any physical
phenomena.
• You must have to imagine all the physical parameters involved in the problem, e.g.
when a body falls there can be a possibility of gravitational force (gravitational
acceleration) and resistance offered by air.
• Now the resistance may in turn also depend on properties of air.
• Correctly using involved parameters in a problem is key to success through
dimensional analysis.
Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P
Dimensional Analysis Revisited
• Notice that using dimensional analysis you can predict the trend (or
equations) between different parameters/factors involved in a certain
physical phenomena whereas using similitude you can predict the behavior
of a prototype to which the model you are analyzing, is similar.
• The equations determined/predicted for a model can conveniently be used
for its prototype given that similarity exists.
• Also notice that all of the three similarity laws must hold true between a
model and a prototype if the similarity is to exist between them.

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

Example: Dimensional Analysis (Rayleigh’s Method)
• The Speed (V) of a pressure wave through a fluid depends on compressibility of
fluid (i.e. bulk modulus of fluid; Ev (measured in psi or MPA)), density of fluid (p),
and the kinematic viscosity (v) of the fluid. So the equation might be:
V=C Eavpbvd ; Where C is a constant (dimensionless)
L/T=(M/LT2)a(M/L3)b(L2/T)d
• For M: 0=a+b
• For L: 1=-1-3b+2d
• For T: -1=-2a-d
Solving these three equations for a, b and d
a=1/2 , b= -1/2 , d=0
So the equation for pressure wave speed is (putting in above relation for V):
𝐸𝑣
𝑉=𝐶
𝑝

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P

 Q/A-Session
“The End”
Every End is infact the beginning of
new worthy Ends

Engr. Waseem Shah; CED, UET-P