TOPIC 1

PROPERTIES OF
FLUIDS

1
Q 1-1
A cylindrical tank of methanol has a mass of 40 kg and a volume of 51 L. Calculate the
methanol’s density, specific weight and specific gravity. Take the gravitational acceleration to
be 9.81 m/s2.

Q 1-2
A liquid that occupies a volume of 26 L weighs 224 N at a location where the gravitational
acceleration is 9.80 m/s2. Determine the mass of this liquid and its density.

Q 1-3
A liquid has a mass density of 1550 kg/m3. Calculate its specific weight, specific gravity and
specific volume.

Q 1-4
When the pressure of liquid is increased from 3.5 MN/m 2 to 6.5 MN/m2, its volume is found
to decrease by 0.08%. What is the bulk modulus of elasticity of the liquid?

2
Q 1-5
At a depth of 8.5 km in the ocean, the pressure is 90 MN/m 2. The specific weight of the sea
water at the surface is 10.2 kN/m3 and its average Bulk Modulus is 2.4x106 kN/m2. Determine:
i. The change in specific volume
ii. The specific volume at 8.5 km depth
iii. The specific weight of sea water at 8.5 km depth

3
Q 1-6
Taking the coefficient of compressibility of water to be 5 x 10 6 kPa, determine the pressure
increase required to reduce the volume of water by
a) 1 percent
b) 2 percent

Q 1-7
A 1.4 mm diameter tube is inserted into an oil whose density is 970 kg/m 3, and it is observed
that the liquid rises 6 mm in the tube, making a contact angle of 15°. Determine the surface
tension of the oil.

Q 1-8
A capillary tube of 1.4 mm diameter is immersed vertically in water exposed to the atmosphere.
Determine how high water will be rise in the tube. Take the contact angle at the inner wall of
the tube to be 6° and the surface tension to be 1.00 N/m 2.

4
Q 1-9
A vertical gap 25 mm wide of infinite extent contains oil of relative density of 0.95 and
viscosity 2.4 Pa.s as shown in Figure Q 1-9. a metal plate 1.5 m x 1.5 m x 1.6 mm weighing
55 N is to be lifted through the gap at a constant speed of 0.06 m/s1. Determine the force
required to lift the plate.
F

0.06 m/s1
dy dy

W
25 mm

Figure Q 1-9

Q 1-10
A central plate of area 6 m2 being pulled with a force of 160 N as shown in Figure Q 1-10. If
the dynamic viscosities of the type 1 and type 2 oils are in the ratio of 1:3 and the viscosity of
type 1 oil is 0.12 Ns/m2, determine the velocity at which the central plate will move.

6 mm Type 1 oil

160 N

6 mm Type 2 oil
Plate

Figure Q 1-10

5
Q 1-11
Figure Q 1-11 25 mm wide space between two horizontal plane surfaces is filled with
lubricating oil and has absolute viscosity of 0.30 Ns/m 2. What force is required to drag a very
thin plate of 0.37 m2 area through the oil at a velocity of 0.10 m/s?

8 mm Oil
F
0.10 m/s
17 mm Oil

Figure Q 1-11

6
Q 1-12
Two large plane surfaces are 2.4 cm apart. The space between the surfaces is filled with
glycerin. Given that the density and kinematic viscosity of the glycerin are 1260 kg/m 3 and
6.43 x10-4 m2/s. A very thin plate of surface area 0.5 square meters was put between the two
large plane surfaces. Which location of the thin plate that will required less force to drag it at a
speed of 0.6 m/s, if:
i. The thin plate is in the middle of the plane surfaces
ii. The thin plate is at a distance of 2:1 between the plane surfaces.

7
Q 1-13
Figure Q 1-13 shows two plates ∆y apart. The lower place is fixed while the upper one is free
to move under action of mass of 50 g. castor oil with absolute viscosity 650 x 10 -3 Ns/m2
occupies the space between these two plates. The area of contact of the upper plate with the oil
is 0.7 m2. Find the velocity of the upper plate when the distance separating the plates is 0.5 cm.

Castor Oil
650 x 10-3 Ns/m2

Stationary plate 50 g

Figure Q1-13

8
Q 1-14
Figure Q 1-14 shows a 90 N rectangular solid block slides down a 30˚ inclined plane. The
plane is lubricated by a 3 mm thick film of oil of relative density 0.90 and viscosity 8.0 poise.
If the contact area is 0.3 m2, determine the terminal velocity, v of the block.

v
30˚

film
W = 90 N
Figure Q 1-14

9
Q 1-15
Figure Q 1-15 shows a cubical block of 20 cm side and of 20 kg weight is allowed to slide
down along a plane inclined at 30° to the horizontal on which there is a film of oil having
kinematic viscosity 2.4x10-6 m2/s. The density of the oil is 900 kg/m3. What will be the terminal
velocity, v of the block if the film thickness is 0.025 mm?

20 cm Oil

30°

Figure Q 1-15

10
Q 1-16
Figure Q 1-16 shows a cylindrical shaft of 90 mm diameter rotates about a vertical axis inside
a fixed cylindrical tube of 95 mm diameter. Both cylinders are 550 mm length. The space
between the tube and the shaft is filled by a liquid of kinematic viscosity 10x10 -4 m2s-1 and
mass density of 800kgm-3, find
a) the absolute viscosity in Poise
b) torque required to rotate the shaft at a speed of 120 rpm.

95 mm

90 mm
Liquid

550 mm

Figure Q 1-16

11
Q 1-17
The viscosity of fluid is to be measured by a viscometer constructed of two 1.5 m long
concentric cylinders as shown in Figure Q 1-17. The inner diameter of the outer cylinder is 16
cm, and the gap between two cylinders is 0.09 cm. The outer cylinder is rotated at 250 rpm,
and torque is measured to be 1.4 Nm. Calculate the kinematic viscosity of the fluid. The density
of the fluid is 850 kg/m3.

ω
Fluid
Stationary cylinder

Rotating outer cylinder

Figure Q 1-17

12
Q 1-18
A solid circular cylinder, 150 mm in diameter and 250 mm long, slides inside a vertical smooth
pipe of 160 mm diameter. The small space between the cylinder and the pipe is lubricated with
an oil (specific density of 0.85) film that has a kinematic viscosity of 1x10-5 m2/s. Suppose that
the cylinder moves downwards at a velocity of 20 cm/s and is observed to be accelerating at a
rate of 45 cm/s2. What is its mass?

13
Q 1-19
A concentric cylinder viscometer may be formed by rotating the inner member of a pair of
closely fitting cylinders as shown in Figure Q 1-19. A viscometer has an inner cylinder of 75
mm diameter and 150 mm height, with a clearance gap width of 0.02 mm. A torque, T, of 0.021
Nm is required to turn the inner cylinder at an angular velocity, Ω, of 100 rpm. Assuming that
the flow between the cylinders is laminar as the inner cylinder rotates, the fluid properties are
constant, the radial velocity components are zero, and the flow does not vary in the vertical
direction.
a) Determine the absolute viscosity of the liquid in the clearance gap of the viscometer.
b) If density of the liquid is 850kgm-3, find the kinematic viscosity of the liquid.

Rotating inner
cylinder

Fixed outer
cylinder
Weight

Liquid

Figure Q 1-19

14