What is Fluid Mechanics?
As its name suggests it is the branch of applied mechanics concerned with the statics and dynamics of fluids – both liquids and gases. The analysis of the behaviour of fluids is based on the fundamental laws of mechanics which relate continuity of mass and energy with force and momentum together with the familiar solid mechanics properties. • Objectives of this section • Define the nature of a fluid. • Show where fluid mechanics concepts are common with those of solid mechanics and indicate some fundamental areas of difference. • Introduce viscosity and show what are Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids • Define the appropriate physical properties and show how these allow differentiation between solids and fluids as well as between liquids and gases. • Fluids There are two aspects of fluid mechanics which make it different to solid mechanics: • The nature of a fluid is much different to that of a solid • In fluids we usually deal with continuous streams of fluid without a beginning or en
