4/29/2025

Fluid Kinematics is the study of fluid in motion where

pressure forces are not considered.
It is generally a continuous function in space and time.
Kinematics of fluid deals with the geometry of motion,
i.e. space – time relation ships of fluids only without
regards to the forces causing the motion.
Kinematics is a branch of classical mechanics that describes
the motion of points, bodies (objects), and systems of bodies
(groups of objects) without considering the mass of each or the
forces that caused the motion.
They are generally deals with velocity & acceleration of fluid,
and the description and visualization of motion.

DIMENSION OF FLOW
A Fluid flow said to be one, two or three-dimensional flow
depending up on the number of independent space coordinate &
required to describe the flow.

When the dependent variables (example: velocity, pressure,

density etc) are a function of one space co-ordinate, say x- coordinate) it
is known as one-dimensional flow (1D).
Example: (1D): flow through pipes & channels, between
boundaries, etc if the velocity distribution is considered constant at
each cross-section.

1
 4/29/2025

 When the dependent variables vary only with two-space

coordinates, the flow is known as two-dimensional flow

Example: Flow over a weir

 Generally, a fluid is a rather complex three-dimensional,

time-dependent phenomenon
i.e., V= V(x, y, z, t). In almost any flow situation, the velocity field
actually contains all three-velocity components (u, v, w) & each is
a function of all three-space coordinates (x, y, z).
Example of a 3D flow: the flow of air past an airplane wing
provides a complex three-dimensional flow

Velocity & Acceleration in a fluid flow

 Fluids flow from one point in space to another point as a

function of time.

 This motion of fluid is described in terms of the velocity &

acceleration of the fluid particles.

 At a given time instant, a description of any fluid properties

(such as density, pressure, Velocity & acceleration) may be
given as a function of the fluid's location.

i.e. V = u (x, y, z, t)i +v (x, y, z, t)j + w (x, y, z, t)k

2
 4/29/2025

An infinitesimal change in velocity ( u ) is given by:

u u u u
u  x y  z t
x y z t
 u  u  u  u
a x  u  v  w 
 x y  z  t
 v  v v  v
a y  u  v  w 
x  y  z  t
    
a z  u  v  w 
 x y z  t

ax, ay & az are called total or substantial acceleration in the x, y & z direction, the
components are called convective acceleration excluding the last expression
 u v  
 , ,&  Which are called local acceleration
  t  t t 
Total acceleration a ax i  ay j  azk

Convective acceleration – it is instantaneous space rate of change of velocity,

Local acceleration: - it is the local time rate of change of velocity, 5

Describing the pattern of flow

Pattern of flow may be described by:
streamlines
stream tubes
path lines and
streak lines.
streamlines :- - it is an imaginary curve drawn through a
flowing fluid in such a way that the tangent to it at any
point gives the direction of the velocity of flow at those
points.

3
 4/29/2025

Streamline
It is a line in a flow field that is everywhere tangent to the velocity vector
U at each point along the streamline for any instant of time t.
U

The instantaneous velocities are given by

U y

u v x

The slope of the velocity vector

dy v
 tan 
dx u
Streamlines never intersect each other because, at any point, there can be only one direction of
the velocity 7

Stream tube: - is a tube imaginated to be formed

by a group of streamlines passing through a small
closed curve.
A fluid can enter or leave a stream tube only at its
ends

4
 4/29/2025

Path line: - a path line is a line traced out by a

given single fluid particle as it moves from one
point to another over a period of time.
In steady flow path lines & streamlines are
identical.

Streak lines: - A streak line consists of all particles

in flows that have previously passed through a
common point.

10

10

5
 4/29/2025

Types of flow
A. Classification according to type of fluid
•Ideal fluid flow
•Real fluid flow
•Compressible fluid flow
•Incompatible fluid flow
B. Classification according to variation of velocity,
displacement and etc
•Steady flow
•Unsteady flow
•Uniform flow
•Non- uniform flow
•Laminar flow
•Turbulent flow 11

11

 Steady flow:
 characteristic such as velocity, pressure, density etc
don’t change with time.
However this characteristic may be different at different
points in the flowing fluid.
v p
  0,  0 , etc
t t

 Unsteady flow
 If at any point in the flowing fluid any one of all of the
characteristics, which describes the behavior of fluids
in motion changes with time.
v p
  0,  0 , etc
t t
12

12

6
 4/29/2025

 Uniform flow
 When the velocity both in magnitude & direction remains
constant with respect to distance, i. e it doesn’t change from
point to point

  v  0
s
•Non- uniform flow
 If there is a change in velocity either in magnitude or
direction with respect to distance.

 v
 0
 s

13

13

 Laminar flow: - in laminar flow the

particles of fluid move in orderly manners
& the stream lines retain the same relative
position in successive cross section.
 Turbulent flow: - Here the fluid particles
flow in a disorder manner occupying
different relative positions in successive
cross section.
 Reynolds established the boundary between the laminar and turbulent flow,
using the dimensionless number called Reynolds' number, Re
Where : V- mean velocity Reynolds showed that if
VD D- Diameter
Re  Re< 2000 ---- Laminar flow
 - Kinematics viscosity
Re> 4000 ---- Turbulent
2000<Re<4000-----Transition flow

14

14

7
 4/29/2025

Continuity Equation,Q=AV
The continuity equation is a mathematical
statement of the principle of conservation of mass
Fluid is neither created nor destroyed with in the
region.
 It may be stored that the rate of increase of
mass contained with in the region must be equal
to the differences b/n the rate at which the fluid
mass enters the region & the rate of which it
leaves the region.

15

15

Consider flow through a portion of a stream tube:

At section-2
Area of elementary tube= dA2
Average velocity = V2
Density = 2
Mass of fluid flowing per unit of time
past section 2 = 2 *dA2 *V2 [ kg/s ]

At section-1
Area of elementary tube = dA1
Average velocity = V1
Density = 1
Mass of fluid per unit time flowing past
section-1 = 1* dA1* V1 [ kg/s ]

16

16

8
 4/29/2025

For steady flow, by the principle of conservation of mass

1 dA1 V1 = 2 d A2 V2
For the entire area of the stream tube:


A1
1 dA1 V1  
A2
2 dA2 V 2 = Constant
If 1 and 2 are average densities at section (1) and (2), then
1 V1dA1  2 V2 dA2   VA = Constant
A1 A2

1V1A1 = 2V2A2 VA = constant

This is equation of continuity applicable to steady, 1D flow of
compressible as well as incompressible (1 = 2) flow.
For incompressible flow,  = constant and doesn’t vary form point
to point, 1 = 2
A1V1 = A2V2 = Q = constant
17

17

The general equation of continuity for three dimensional (3D) flow

can be derived as follows.
Consider a flow through a rectangular parallelepiped of
dimensions:  x ,  y ,  z
C

D’

18

18

9
 4/29/2025

By similar procedure the mass of fluid remaining in the

others two pairs of faces (Y, Z – directions)

19

19

The net total mass of fluid that remains in the parallelepiped per unit time is :

   u    v   w  
    x y  z             1
 x y z 
The mass of fluid in the parallelepiped is:
  x y z 

its rate of increase with time is:


t
 x y z    x y z           2
t
Equating 1 & 2 we get:       v     w   
  (  u)        
 x  y   z    t

  u  v   w (General continuity

            0 equation in 3D Flow)
t  x   y   z  20

20

10
 4/29/2025

- (Continuity equation for

incompressible, steady flow in 3D)

21

21

Exercises
1. A conical pipe has a diameter of 10 cm and 15 cm at the two ends respectively. If
the velocity at the 10 cm end is 2m/sec. What is the velocity at the other end and
what is the discharge through the pipe?
2. A 200 mm diameter pipe bifurcates into a 120 mm diameter pipe and a 100 mm
diameter pipe. If the flow through the 200 mm diameter pipe is 100 lit/sec assuming
the velocity in the branch pipes is equal. Find the rate of flow through each of the
branch pipes.
3. Does the velocity field given by U = 5x3 i – 15x2yj+ tk represent a possible fluid
motion?
4. A fluid of constant density flows at a rate of 15 lit/s along a pipe 100mm dia. This
pipe branches to pipe BC and BD read with 25mm diameter and a third pipe of BE
diameter 50mm. The flow through BC is three times the flow through BE. The
velocity through BD is 4m/s. Find the discharge in the three branches. (Assume
steady flow)

22

22

11
 4/29/2025

Reading Assignment
Stream function & Velocity potential
Flow Nets

23

12