FLUID MECHANICS

AND
HYDRAULICS
 CHAPTER 1:
PROPERTIES OF FLUID
• Introduction
• Properties of fluid
a) Density or Mass Density
b) Specific weight or weight Density
c) Specific volume
d) Specific gravity
• Solved problems
 •

INTRODUCTION

FLUID MECHANICS
branch of science with deals with behaviour of
fluids in rest as well as in motion

FLUID STATICS FLUID KINEMATICS FLUID DYNAMICS

study of fluid at study of fluid in motion study of fluid in
rest where pressure forces are motion where
not considered pressure forces
are considered
•  PROPERTIES OF FLUID

1. DENSITY OR MASS DENSITY:

• Ratio of mass of fluid to its volume.
• Denoted by symbol (rho)
• S.I unit:

• Density of liquid may be considered as constant while that of gases

changes with variation of temperature and pressure
• Density of water is 1 or 1000
• Gases have large intermolecular space thus:
CASE 1: when temperature increases kinetic energy between
molecules increases thus volume increases
As a result density decreases

CASE 2: when pressure increases space between the molecules

decreases i.e. volume decreases and density increases
 2. SPECIFIC WEIGHT OR WEIGHT DENSITY:
• It is the ratio of weight of fluid to volume of fluid

• Specific weight or weight density of water is 9.81*1000 in S.I unit

 SPECIFIC VOLUME:
 .
• Specific volume is the ratio of volume of fluid to mass of fluid
• It is reciprocal of mass density and is expressed as

• It is commonly applied to gases

 4.SPECIFIC GRAVITY:
• Specific gravity of liquid is the ratio of weight density or density of
given liquid to weight density or density of water
• It is denoted by symbol

• Similarly; Specific gravity of gases is the ratio of weight density or

density of given gas to weight density or density of air
• eg specific gravity of mercury = 13.6
Thus, density of mercury = 13.6*1000
 SOLVED PROBLEMS

1) Calculate specific weight, density and specific gravity of 1 litre of

liquid which weighs 7N
 GIVEN: volume=1 litre=1*
weight=7N
TO FIND: specific weight, density and specific gravity
SOLUTION:
a) specific weight=weight of liquid/volume of liquid
=7/
=7*
b) density= mass of fluid/volume of fluid
but specific weight= density * acceleration due to gravity

Thus, ==713.5
 c) Specific gravity= density of given liquid/ density of water
=713.5/1000
=0.7135

2) Calculate density, specific weight and weight of 1 litre of petrol of

specific gravity 0.7
 GIVEN: Volume=1 litre=1*
Specific gravity=0.7
TO FIND: density, specific weight and weight
SOLUTION:
a) Density of petrol= specific gravity of petrol * density of water
=0.7*1000
=700
  b)Specific weight of petrol= specific gravity of petrol * specific
weight of water
=0.7*1000*9.81
=6867
c) Specific weight of petrol=weight of petrol/volume of petrol
Thus, weight of petrol= specific weight of petrol*volume of petrol
=6867*
=6.867
3) One litre of crude oil weighs 9.6N. Calculate its specific weight, density
and specific
 GIVEN: gravity
volume=1 litre=
weight of crude oil=9.6 N
TO FIND: specific weight, density and specific gravity
SOLUTION: a) specific weigh of crude oil= weight of crude oil/
volume of crude oil
=9.6/
 b)Density of crude oil:
Weight=density * acceleration due to gravity
Thus, density= weight/ acceleration due to gravity
=9600/9.81
=978.59
c) Specific gravity of crude oil= density of crude oil/ density of
water
=978.59/1000
=0.978