UNIVERSITY OF BALAMAND

MECH243 – Fluid Mechanics – Spring 2015-2016

Final Exam – May 4th, 2016 – Duration: 80 minutes
Closed-Book, Closed-Notes, Equations Provided
Problem I. (30 pts) – SOLVE ON BOOKLET 1
A viscous liquid of constant ρ and μ falls due to gravity between two plates a distance 2h
apart, as shown in figure below. The plate on the left is fixed, whereas the plate on the right is
moving upward with a constant velocity U. The flow is steady and fully developed, with a
single velocity component w = w(x). There are no applied pressure gradients, only gravity.
a) Obtain an expression for the velocity profile between the plates. Use the x-axis and z-
axis at the midpoint shown in the figure below. (14 pts)
b) Find the velocity U of the right plate (as a function of ρ, g, h and μ) for which the
average velocity of the flow between the two plates is zero. Assume the depth into the
paper is unity. (10 pts)
c) Sketch the velocity profile between the plates for U < 0 (as shown in figure below),
U = 0, and U > 0 (downwards). (6 pts)

Problem II. (20 pts) - SOLVE ON BOOKLET 1

The sketch below shows an air jet discharging vertically. Experiments show that a ball placed
in the jet is suspended in a stable position. The equilibrium height h of the ball in the jet is
found to depend on D, d, V, ρ, μ, and W, where W is the weight of the ball. In other words,
h = f(D, d, V, ρ, μ, W). Dimensional analysis is suggested to correlate experimental data. Show
that the dimensionless Π parameters that characterize this phenomenon could be written as
W ρVd h D
follows: 2 2
= F( , , ).
ρV d µ d d
Problem III. (15 pts) - SOLVE ON BOOKLET 1
A 1/5 scale model of a torpedo is tested in a wind tunnel to determine the drag force. The data
collected in the wind tunnel is summarized in the table below:
Velocity (m/s) 50 80 110 140
Drag force (N) 398 503 618 761

Compressed air (μ = 1.8×10–5 Pa.s) is used in the wind tunnel. The prototype operates in
water (ρ = 998 kg/m3, μ = 10–3 Pa.s), has 533 mm diameter, and is 6.7 m long. The
dimensionless Π parameters that characterize this problem are as follows:
F ρVD
2 2
= f( ).
ρV D µ
The desired operating speed of the prototype is 28 m/s. Find the drag force expected on the
full-scale torpedo if the density of the compressed air in the wind tunnel is 22.863 kg/m3.
Problem IV. (35 pts) - SOLVE ON BOOKLET 2
Consider the system in the figure below where a pump is installed to move water
(ρ = 1000 kg/m3, μ = 10–3 Pa.s) at a mass rate of 10 kg/s from a lower tank to a higher one.
The difference in elevation between the two surfaces is 20 m. The first pipe has a total length
of 40 m, a diameter of 10 cm, and a roughness of 0.4 mm. It has a sharp entrance, a fully-open
flanged globe valve, and is connected to the second pipe through a sudden contraction. The
second pipe has a total length of 30 m, a diameter of 5 cm, and a roughness of 0.4 mm. It has
2 regular screwed 90° elbows, a fully-open flanged globe valve, and a sharp exit.
a) Calculate the head loss due to friction in the system. (16 pts)
b) Calculate the minor losses in the system. (12 pts)
c) Estimate the power required to drive the pump if its efficiency is 80%. (7 pts)
 Equation Sheet
The total derivative of u:

The Differential Equation of Mass Conservation:

The Navier-Stokes Equations:

Incompressible Steady-Flow Energy Equation:

Laminar flow:

Minor Losses:
Loss coefficients K for some valves, fittings and tee connections:

Entrance and exit loss coefficients:

(a) reentrant inlets (b) rounded and beveled inlets (c) expansion/contraction

(c)

Exit losses:
K ≈ 1.0 for all shapes of exit (reentrant, sharp, beveled, or rounded).