Fluid Statics and Dynamics syllabus

Introduction to fluid mechanics, classification of fluids and flows, properties of fluids – density, specific weight, specific gravity, viscosity, surface tension, vapor pressure, capillarity, pressure and its measurement, barometers, manometers, hydrostatic pressure, Pascal’s law, forces on plane and curved surfaces, buoyancy and stability of floating bodies.

Types of flow, steady, unsteady, uniform, non-uniform, laminar, turbulent, flow visualization – streamlines, path lines, streak lines, acceleration of fluid particles, rotational and irrotational flows, stream function and velocity potential, continuity equation in Cartesian coordinates, concept of system and control volume, Reynolds transport theorem, conservation of mass and momentum.

Bernoulli’s equation, derivation, assumptions, and limitations, applications, venturimeter, orifice meter, pitot tube, linear momentum equation – applications to pipe bends, nozzles, and jets, energy grade line and hydraulic grade line, head loss concepts, total energy and power concepts in fluid motion, microfluidics, smart fluid systems.

Dimensional homogeneity, Buckingham π theorem, important dimensionless numbers, Reynolds, Froude, Weber, Mach, Euler, similarity laws and model testing, laminar and turbulent flow through pipes, Hagen– Poiseuille equation, Darcy–Weisbach equation, friction factor and Moody chart, major and minor losses in pipe systems, series and parallel pipe networks, introduction to computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

Boundary layer concept – thickness, separation, laminar and turbulent boundary layers, drag and lift – skin friction and pressure drag, flow over immersed bodies – streamlined and bluff bodies, lift on airfoils – circulation theory basics, introduction to compressible flow – Mach number, isentropic flow concepts, shock waves (qualitative), area–velocity relation in nozzles (overview), energy-efficient nozzle and propulsion designs.