Fluid Mechanics

If the movement of fluid is not affected by its viscosity, it could be treated as the flow of ideal fluid and the viscosity term could be omitted. Therefore, its analysis would be easier. The flow around a solid, however, cannot be treated in such a manner because of viscous friction. Nevertheless, only the very thin region near the wall is affected by this friction. Ludwig Prandtl identified this phenomenon and had the idea to divide the flow into two regions. They are: 1. the region near ...

A sudden change of flow rate in a large pipeline (caused by valve closure, pump shutoff, etc.) may affect a large mass of water moving inside the pipe. The force resulting from changing the speed of the water mass could cause a pressure rise in the pipe with a magnitude several times greater than the normal static pressure in the pipe. This phenomenon is commonly known as the water hammer phenomenon. The excessive pressure may fracture the pipe walls or cause other damage to the pipeline ...