Course Goals
The operation of many electromechanical devices is dependent on or strongly affected
by fluid motion. For example, in an optical hard drive the operation of the floating heads,
the motor's air bearings, and the clean air technology are critically in ifluenced by the flow
of the air within the hard drive enclosure. The objectives of this course are to develop
suffcient understanding of the science of fluid mechanics to enable students to determine
critical flow processes in a device and to use this knowledge to estimate critical operational
parameters. By the end of the course students should be able to estimate pressure changes
and flow rates throughout flows and the forces on bodies surrounded by moving fluids.
Textbook: White, F.M., 2016, Fluid Mechanics, 8th Edition, McGraw-Hill, Toronto.
1. Describing Fluid Motion
- velocity field 1.3, 1.5
- flow visualization lines 1.9
- acceleration field 4.1
- dimensionality, steadiness
- laminar and turbulent flows 6.1
- fluid strain rate 1.7, 4.3, 4.8
2. Forces in Fluid Motion
- body and surface forces
- definition of a fluid 1.2
- pressure in a fluid 2.1, 2.2
- pressure - acceleration - gravity balances 2.3, 2.4, 2.9
- pressure sensors 2.10
- pressure forces on submerged bodies 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8
- surface tension 1.7
- Newton's hypothesis, viscosity 1.7, 4.3
- turbulent flow 6.5
- friction and mixing 6.5
- flow near walls 1.7, 4.6, 7.1
3. Conservation Principles
- control volume formulation 3.1, 3.2
- mass conservation balance 3.3
- linear momentum balance 3.4
- non-steady systems
- pressure estimation: Bernoulli's equation 3.7
- applications 3.4, 7.2
4. Scaling Analysis and Modelling
- dimensional analysis 5.1, 5.2
- Pi Theorem 5.3
- drag and aerodynamic shape design 7.1, 7.6
- common dimensionless numbers 5.4
- scaling and experiment design 5.5
5. Internal Flow System Analysis
- internal or channeled flow 6.1 - 6.4, 6.6
- effect of cross-section shape 6.8
- non-fully developed ow elements 6.9, 6.11, 6.12
NOTE: The above references to course text book sections are for guidance only. The course
lectures will define the course topics along with the required level of understanding.
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Lectures: Full benefit will be achieved by focused participation in the development of
course concepts. Students are expected to stay current with course topics.
Homework: Each week problems requiring in depth application of the course concepts
will be posted on the course web site. Complete solutions to these problems will be posted on
the course web page approximately one week after the problems are posted. The problems
are designed to be excellent preparation for exams IF best attempts are completed before
referring to the solution manuals.
Tutorial: The tutors will review the week's essential ideas and facilitate practice activities
and the solution of some numerical problems.
Analysis Project: There will be one analysis project which can be extended with an
optional physical experimental component. Students will work in groups and submit one
report per group.
Evaluation: Each student's knowledge will be evaluated based on the analysis report, a
written (1.5 hr. ) mid-term exam, an optional mid-term reflection exercise done in small
groups, and a written (2.5 hr.) final exam. One 8.5" by 11" sheet of notes (both sides) and
a non-programmable calculator will be allowed for both exams. The approximate grade
breakdown will be:
Analysis Project 10% (15% with optional experiment)
Max. of [ Midterm Exam 30% + Reflection Exercise 10% ] , [ Midterm Exam 40% + Reflection Exercise 0% ]
Final Exam 50% (45% with extended analysis project)
Academic Integrity: Integrity is a virtue in successful professional engineering careers.
While students are encouraged to discuss concepts and challenges with each other, all writ-
ten submissions are to be done independently by each student, or in the case of the analysis
project, by each student group. For more information on academic integrity see Faculty of
Engineering Expectations or the University of Waterloo Office of Academic Integrity.
