HYDRAULICS II – Week 7: Lecture 0

Streamlines
In the analysis of problems in fluid mechanics,
frequently it is advantages to obtain a visual
representation of a flow field. Such a
representation is provided by timelines,
pathlines, streaklines, and streamlines.
If a number of adjacent fluid particles in a flow
field are marked at a given instant, they form a
line in the fluid at that instant; this line is called
timeline. Subsequent observations of the line
may provide information about the flow field.
For example, in discussing the behavior of a fluid
under the action of a constant shear force
timelines were introduced to demonstrate the
deformation of a fluid at successive instants.
A pathline is the path or trajectory traced out by
a moving fluid particle. To make a pathline
visible, we might identify a fluid particle at a
given instant, e.g., by the use of dye or smoke,
and then take a long exposure photograph of its
subsequent motion. The line traced out by the
particle is a pathline.
On the other hand, we might choose to focus
our attention on a fixed location in space and
identify, again by use of dye or smoke, all fluid
particles passing through this point. After a
short period of time we would have a number of
identifiable fluid particles in the flow, all of
which had, at some time, passed through one
fixed location in space. The line joining these
fluid particles is defined as a streakline.
Streamline are lines are lines drawn in the flow
field so that at a given instant they are tangent
to the direction of flow at every point in the flow
field. Since the streamlines are tangent to the
velocity vector at every point in the flow field,
there can be no flow across a streamline.
The procedure used to obtain the equation for a
streamline in two-dimensional flow is illustrated
in example that will follow.

In steady flow, the velocity at each point in the

flow field remains constant with time and,
consequently, the streamlines do not vary from
one instant to the next. This implies that a
particle located on a given streamline will
remain on the same streamline.
Furthermore, consecutive particles passing
through a fixed point in space will be on the
same streamline and, subsequently, will remain
on this streamline.
Thus in a steady flow, pathlines, streaklines, and
streamlines are identical lines in the flow field.

The shape of the streamlines may vary from

instant to instant if the flow is unsteady. In the
case of unsteady flow, pathlines, streaklines, and
streamlines do not coincide.
Example: Streamlines and Pathlines in Two-Dimensional Flow
A velocity field is given by 𝑉 = 𝐴𝑥𝑖 − 𝐴𝑦𝑗; the units of velocity
are m/s; 𝑥 and 𝑦 are given in meters; 𝐴 = 0.3 𝑠 −1
(a) Obtain an equation for the streamlines in the 𝑥𝑦 plane.
(b) Plot the streamline passing through the point (𝑥0 , 𝑦0 , 0) =
(2,8,0)
(c) Determine the velocity of a particle at the point (2,8,0).
(d) If the particle passing through the point (𝑥0 , 𝑦0 , 0) is marked
at time 𝑡𝜑 = 0, determine the location of the particle at time
𝑡 = 6𝑠.
(e) What is the velocity of the particle at 𝑡 = 6 𝑠?
(f) Show that the equation of the particle path (the pathlines) is
the same as the equation of the streamline.
Given: Velocity field, 𝑉 = 𝐴𝑥𝑖 − 𝐴𝑦𝑖; 𝑥 and 𝑦 in
meters; 𝐴 = 0.3 𝑠 −1 .
Find: (a) Equation of the streamline in the 𝑥𝑦
plane.
Solution:
Streamline are lines drawn in the flow field such
that, at a given instant, they are tangent to the
direction of flow at every point.
Consequently,
𝑑𝑦 𝑢 −𝐴𝑦 −𝑦
)𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒 = = =
𝑑𝑥 𝑣 𝐴𝑥 𝑥
Separating variables and integrating, we obtain
𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑥
=−
𝑦 𝑥
Or ln𝑦 = −ln𝑥 + 𝑐1
This can be written as 𝑥𝑦 = 𝑐

(b)For the streamline passing through the point

(𝑥𝑜 ,𝑦𝑜 , 0) = 2,8,0 the constant, 𝑐, has a value
of 16 and the equation of the streamline
through the point (2,8,0) is
 𝑥𝑦 = 𝑥𝑜 𝑦𝑜 = 16 𝑚2
With the plot
16

12

8
𝑉2,8,0 = 0.6𝑖 − 2.4𝑗 𝑚/𝑠

4
𝑉

𝑥𝑦 = 16𝑚2
0

0 4 8 12 16
𝑥 (𝑚)
(c) The velocity field is 𝑉 = 𝐴𝑥𝑖 − 𝐴𝑦𝑗. At the
point 2,8,0 the velocity is
𝑉 = 𝐴 𝑥𝑖 − 𝑦𝑗 = 0.3𝑠 −1 2𝑖 − 8𝑗 m
= 0.6𝑖 − 2.4𝑗 𝑚/𝑠

(d) A particle moving in the flow field will have

velocity given by 𝑉 = 𝐴𝑥𝑖 − 𝐴𝑦𝑗
Thus
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑦
𝑢𝑝 = = 𝐴𝑥 and 𝑣𝑝 = = −𝐴𝑦
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
Separating variables and integrating (in each
question) gives
𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑡 𝑦 𝑑𝑦 𝑡
𝑥𝑜 𝑥
= 𝑜
𝐴𝑑𝑡 and 𝑦𝑜 𝑦
= 𝑜
−𝐴𝑑𝑡
Then
𝑥 𝑦
𝑙𝑛 = 𝐴𝑡 and 𝑙𝑛 = −𝐴𝑡
𝑥𝑜 𝑦𝑜
or
𝑥 = 𝑥𝑜 𝑒 𝐴𝑡 and 𝑦 = 𝑦𝑜 𝑒 𝐴𝑡
At 𝑡 = 6 𝑠,
03 6
𝑥 = 2 𝑚𝑒 = 12.1 m
and 𝑦 = 8 𝑚𝑒 − 0.3 6
= 1.32 m

At 𝑡 = 6 𝑠, particle is at 12.1, 1.32, 0 m

(e) At the point (12.1, 1.32, 0) m,
𝑉 = 𝐴 𝑥𝑖 − 𝑦𝑗 = 0.3 𝑠 −1 (12.1𝑖 − 1.32𝑗) m
= 3.63𝑖 − 0.396𝑗 m/s

(f) To determine the equation of the pathline,

we use the parametric equations
𝑥 = 𝑥𝑜 𝑒 𝐴𝑡 and 𝑦 = 𝑦𝑜 𝑒 𝐴𝑡
and eliminate t. Solving for 𝑒 𝐴𝑡 from both
𝐴𝑡 𝑦𝑜 𝑥
equations 𝑒 = =
𝑦 𝑥𝑜
Therefore 𝑥𝑦 = 𝑥𝑜 𝑦𝑜 = 16 𝑚2

Note:
(i) The equation of the streamline through
(𝑥𝑜 , 𝑦𝑜 , 0) and the equation of the pathline
traced out by the particle passing through
(𝑥𝑜 , 𝑦𝑜 , 0) are the same for this steady flow.
(ii) In following a particle (Lagrangian method of
description), both the coordinates of the
particle (𝑥, 𝑦) and the components of the
particle velocity (𝑢𝑝 = 𝑑𝑥/𝑑𝑡 and
𝑣𝑝 = 𝑑𝑦/𝑑𝑡) are functions of time.