"Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids (liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them."
The study of how fluids behave under various conditions and how they can be used to solve engineering problems.
Newtonian Fluids: A term describing fluids which behave in a way that follows Newton's law of viscosity.
Non-Newtonian Fluids: Fluids which do not follow the law of viscosity put forward by Newton. In these fluids, the relationship between shear stress and deformation rate is much more complicated.
Continuum Mechanics: A fundamental concept for understanding fluid mechanics. Continuum mechanics describe how a fluid is treated as a continuous medium and how the intermolecular forces play a part in it.
Hydrostatics: A mathematical analysis of the pressure of fluids at rest, and how to balance forces to keep them this way.
Kinematics: The study of the motion of fluids, including flow rates, speeds and acceleration.
Fluid Dynamics: The study of fluids under various conditions, with or without the presence of external forces such as those exerted by a solid object.
Flow Visualization: Different methods of visualizing and analyzing fluid motion within a space, including using smoke, dye, or lasers.
Fluid Properties: The physical properties of fluids, such as viscosity, density, and surface tension.
Bernoulli's Equation: A mathematical tool that relates pressure, velocity, and height within a fluid system.
Reynolds Number: A dimensionless parameter used to characterize the fluid flow regime, and predict the onset of turbulence.
Navier-Stokes Equations: A set of partial differential equations which describe the motion of fluids.
Boundary Layer Theory: Describes the build-up of a boundary layer at the solid-fluid interface which affects the overall flow field.
Pipe Flow: The study of how fluids flow through pipes with different geometries and roughnesses.
Fluid Statics: The study of fluids at rest.
Fluidization: A process involves the introduction of gas into a bed of densely packed solid particles, causing them to behave like a fluid.
Similarity and Dimensional Analysis: Mathematical tools used to make predictions of fluid behavior at different scales.
Turbulence: A state of fluid flow that is highly chaotic and unpredictable, and characterized by fluctuations in velocity and pressure.
Drag: Resistance exerted by a fluid to an object moved through it.
Lift: A force generated by a fluid flow over an object, which can result in the object being lifted off the ground.
Multiphase Flow: The study of how multiple fluids or phases interact and coexist within a single space. For example, gas-liquid or liquid-solid mixtures.
Hydrodynamics: It deals with the study of fluids in motion, focusing on the behavior of fluids under various conditions such as pressure, temperature, velocity, and viscosity.
Thermodynamics: It involves the study of the relationship between heat energy and work in a fluid system. This helps in understanding various fluid systems such as steam turbines and refrigeration systems.
Flow measurement and instrumentation: It comprises the study of different types of flow meters and measurement of various fluid parameters like pressure, temperature, and velocity.
Rheology: It involves the study of the deformation and flow of complex fluids such as polymers, suspensions, and colloids. This helps in optimizing the processing parameters of complex fluids in the industry.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD): It is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical methods to solve and analyze fluid flow problems. CFD is widely used in various industries such as aerospace, automotive, and chemical for the design and optimization of fluid systems.
Multiphase flow: It involves the study of fluids that have more than one phase, such as liquid-liquid mixtures, gas-liquid mixtures, and solid-liquid mixtures. It plays a crucial role in industries such as oil and gas, food processing, and pharmaceuticals.
Turbulence: It comprises the study of the chaotic and unpredictable behavior of fluids in motion. Turbulence is of prime importance in the design and optimization of various fluid systems, including turbines, pumps, and heat exchangers.
Biofluid mechanics: It involves the study of fluids present in the human body, such as blood, lymph, and cerebrospinal fluid. The understanding of biofluid mechanics helps in developing medical devices and treatments for various conditions.
Environmental fluid mechanics: It involves the study of fluids in the environment, including water and air. The understanding of environmental fluid mechanics helps in developing sustainable solutions for various environmental problems.
Industrial fluid mechanics: It involves the application of fluid mechanics principles in various industries such as chemical, petrochemical, oil and gas, food processing, and pharmaceuticals. The objective is to optimize various fluid systems, reduce costs, and increase efficiency.
"It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical, and biomedical engineering, as well as geophysics, oceanography, meteorology, astrophysics, and biology."
"It can be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest; and fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces on fluid motion."
"It is a branch of continuum mechanics, a subject which models matter without using the information that it is made out of atoms; that is, it models matter from a macroscopic viewpoint rather than from microscopic."
"Fluid mechanics, especially fluid dynamics, is an active field of research, typically mathematically complex."
"Many problems are partly or wholly unsolved and are best addressed by numerical methods, typically using computers."
"A modern discipline, called computational fluid dynamics (CFD), is devoted to this approach."
"Particle image velocimetry, an experimental method for visualizing and analyzing fluid flow, also takes advantage of the highly visual nature of fluid flow."
"Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids (liquids, gases, and plasmas)."
"It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical, and biomedical engineering."
"It can be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest."
"It can be divided into... fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces on fluid motion."
"Yes, fluid mechanics involves studying fluids at rest through fluid statics."
"Yes, fluid mechanics has applications in astrophysics."
"Yes, fluid mechanics has applications in oceanography."
"Fluid mechanics models matter from a macroscopic viewpoint rather than from microscopic."
"Yes, particle image velocimetry is an experimental method for visualizing and analyzing fluid flow."
"Many problems are best addressed by numerical methods, typically using computers."
"Fluid mechanics is a branch of continuum mechanics, which models matter without using the information that it is made out of atoms."
"Fluid mechanics, especially fluid dynamics, is an active field of research."