Introduction to Fluid Mechanics Fluid mechanics is the study of physical laws governing fluid flow, encompassing liquids and gases. It involves understanding parameters like pressure fields, velocity fields, density, and viscosity in various situations. The subject's importance spans daily life phenomena (e.g., breathing) to advanced engineering applications (e.g., aircraft propulsion). Historical development includes contributions from Archimedes to modern computational fluid dynamics.
Course Structure Overview The course covers fundamental concepts through a structured sequence: introduction; fluid statics; kinematics of fluids; conservation equations for fluid flow; viscous incompressible flows and their applications through pipes; principles of similarity in experiments predicting real-world performance based on model tests.
Recommended Textbooks 'Fluid Mechanics' by S.K. Som & G.Biswas offers insights based on teaching experiences at IITs Kharagpur & Kanpur. Other recommended texts include 'Fluid Mechanics' by Frank M White,'Elements of Fluid Mechanic' by Seshadri & Patankar,and 'Mechanics Of Fluids’by Irving H Shames.These books provide comprehensive coverage suitable for different aspects within the syllabus.
Defining Fluids vs Solids Mechanically Fluids continuously deform under tangential forces unlike solids which resist deformation up until certain limits before regaining shape upon load removal.Fluids cannot regain original shapes once deformed due zero memory behavior except viscoelastic fluids exhibiting partial elasticity.The constitutive equation relates stress with rate-of-strain rather than strain itself as seen solid materials making it distinct mechanically defining characteristic between two states matter