Human Movement in

a Fluid Medium
By
Dr. Faizan Siddiqui (PT)
(Lecturer)
School of Physiotherapy,
IPM&R, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi
The Nature of Fluids
What is a fluid?

• A substance that flows or continuously deforms

when subjected to a shear stress
• Both liquids and gases are fluids
• Air and water are fluids that commonly exert forces
on the human body

2
What is relative velocity?
Velocity of a body with respect to the velocity of something else, such
as the surrounding fluid

Relative velocity:
Of a body with respect to a fluid is the vector subtraction of the
velocity of the fluid from the velocity of the body

3
 The Nature of Fluids
Velocity of cyclist relative to wind (20 m/s)
Cyclist’s velocity (15 m/s)

Head wind
velocity
(5 m/s)

Velocity of cyclist relative to wind (10 m/s)

Cyclist’s velocity (15 m/s)

Tail wind
velocity
(5 m/s)

4
 The Nature of Fluids

What is laminar flow?

When an object moves with sufficiently low
velocity relative to any
fluid medium, the flow of the adjacent fluid is
termed laminar flow

It is characterized by smooth layers of fluid

molecules flowing parallel
to one another

5
 The Nature of Fluids

What is turbulent flow?

When an object moves with sufficiently high velocity relative to a surrounding
fluid, the layers of fluid near the surface of the object mix

The rougher the surface of the body, the lower the relative velocity at which
turbulence is caused

Turbulent flow is characterized by mixing of adjacent fluid layers.

Region of
Motion of
turbulence sphere

6
Laminar versus Turbulent Flow

Laminar flow:
– Low velocity relative to fluid
medium
Turbulent flow:
– High velocity relative to fluid
medium
7
 The Nature of Fluids

What are relevant fluid properties?

• Density - mass/volume
• Specific weight - weight/volume
• Viscosity - internal resistance of a fluid to flow
• Atmospheric pressure
• Temperature

All influence the magnitude of the forces a

fluid generates and exerts on body

8
 Buoyancy

What is buoyancy?
A fluid force that always vertically upward
Archimedes’ principle :the magnitude of the
buoyant force acting on a given body is equal
to the weight of the fluid displaced by the
body.
Fb = Vd 
Where Fb = buoyant force,
Vd = displaced fluid volume,
 = fluid specific weight

Point of application being a body’s center of

9
10
Buoyancy
Floatation and sink

• Depends on relationship b/w buoyancy and weight of an object

•Floating occurs when the buoyant force is greater than or equal to

body weight.

• Sinking occurs when body weight is greater than the buoyant force.

11
 Buoyancy
Buoyant
Center of
force
Human body floating volume
A floating body at rest
(position A) will rotate until the
A Weight
buoyant force and weight Center of
force are vertically aligned gravity Buoyant
(position B) so that zero force
torque is present.
Center of Center of
B gravity volume

Weight

12
Drag
What is drag?
• A force caused by the dynamic action of a fluid that acts in the
direction of the free-stream fluid flow, opposite to body movement

• Generally a resistance force that tends to slow the motion of a body

moving through a fluid

Basic Biomechanics, 6th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D.
13
 Drag
What factors affect the total drag force?

FD = ½CDApv2

Where:
• FD = Drag,
• CD = The coefficient of drag - a unitless number;
an index of a body’s ability to generate fluid
resistance
•  = Fluid density
• Ap = Body surface area perpendicular to the fluid flow
• v = Relative velocity of the body with respect to the
fluid

14
Drag
What is skin friction?

• Drag derived from friction in adjacent layers of fluid near a body

moving through the fluid

• Also known as surface drag and viscous drag

15
Drag
What factors affect the magnitude of skin friction?

Skin friction increases with:

• The relative velocity of fluid flow

• The surface area of the body over which the flow occurs

• The roughness of the body surface

• The viscosity of the fluid

16
 Drag

What is form drag?

Form drag:
The suction like force created between
the positive pressure zone on a body’s
leading edge and the negative pressure
zone on the trailing edge when
turbulence is present.
Predominant type of drag for front crawl
swimming

17
 Factors affecting form drag
Relative velocity of body
Pressure gradient difference
Size of surface area aligned perpendicular to flow

Streamline reduces form drag

18
 Lift
What is lift?
• A force acting on a body in a fluid in a direction perpendicular to the
fluid flow

• Generally a resistance force that tends to slow the motion of a body

moving through a fluid

19
 Lift
What factors affect lift force?
FL = ½CLApv2

Where:
• FL = lift,
• CL = the coefficient of lift - a unit less number; an index of a
body’s ability to generate lift
•  = fluid density
• AP = body surface area perpendicular to the fluid flow
• v = relative velocity of the body with respect to the fluid

20
 Lift
What factors affect the magnitude of lift?

Lift increases with:

• The relative velocity of fluid flow

• The surface area.

• The coefficient of lift

• The density of the fluid

21
 Lift
What is the Bernouli principle?

• An expression of the inverse relationship between relative velocity

and relative pressure in a fluid flow

•Regions of low relative velocity are associated with relative high

pressure

•Regions of high relative velocity are associated with relative low

pressure

22
 Lift
What is the Bernouli principle?

P v2
 + z + 2g = C

Where:
• p = pressure,
•  = specific weight of the fluid,
• z = elevation,
• v = relative velocity,
• g = acceleration of gravity, and
• C = a constant

23
24
15-25
 Lift
What is the Magnus effect?

• Deviation in the trajectory of a spinning object toward the

direction of spin

• Results from the Magnus force

26
 Lift

What is the Magnus force?

Topspin Backspin

Relative low velocity flow Relative high velocity flow

Relative high pressure Relative low pressure

Magnus Magnus
force force

Relative high velocity flow Relative low velocity flow

Relative low pressure Relative high pressure

Magnus force results from a pressure differential created by a spinning

body.

15-27