This web site is currently inactive , but will be updated if taught by Prof. Forster in the future.

Jester Purtteman (jesterp@u.washington.edu) is the graduate teaching assistant for the course. Office hours are MWF 11:00 to 12:00 in MEB 236, the TA Conference Room near the North end of the 2nd floor in Mechanical Engineering.

Travis Walter (tw80@u.washington.edu) is the undergraduate teaching assistant for the course. His office hours are Tues. 10:00 to 11:00 and Thur. 1:00 to 2:00 also in MEB 236.

The course will cover Chapts. 1-11 of Munson, B. R., Young, D. Y. and Okiishi, T. H. Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics, 4th Ed. with CD-ROM, John Wiley \& Sons, Inc., New York, 2002. These chapters deal with the topics appropriate for a first course in fluid dynamics: the basic idea of what fluids are, the study of static fluids, the use of control volumes for fluids in motion, and the uses of length, mass, time and temperature dimensions to greatly simplify the description of fluids. With these tools practical aspects of flow through ducts and around objects including effects of compressibility are also covered.

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE ARE FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO:

1) Become familiar with basic descriptions of fluid in terms of density, viscosity, compressibility, vapor pressure and surface tension.

2) Predict pressure variations in fluids at rest and in rigid body motion.

3) Characterize steady flows by means of streamline, streakline, and particle pathine patterns and realize that these three markers are not coincident for unsteady flow.

4) Apply physical laws to fluid moving along and across streamlines.

5) Apply finite and infinitesimal control volume principles to solve steady and unsteady flows, with emphasis on calculating the forces acting on a body from conservation of momentum principles.

6) Apply dimensional analysis to maximize the use of experimental data to other dynamically similar flow situations, e.g. small-scale model studies to understand actual devices.

7) Utilize solutions of the equations of motion for viscous flow and apply empirical correlations based on these equations for engineering applications. Recognize the need to determine whether the flow is laminar or turbulent before applying a particular relationship.

8) Analyze both internal and external flows to predict streamwise pressure variations in internal flows and drag behavior for external flows.

9) Recognize whether or not local flow separation is likely to occur for flow within or over a particular configuration, and then take appropriate steps to minimize or eliminate this effect, if necessary.

10) Understand the basic characteristics of compressible flow for ideal gases.

11) Select compressors and pumps to meet pressure-flow requirements in duct and pipe flow applications, including pumps and pipes in parallel and series. Calculate whether or not cavitation will occur at the pump inlet and modify the design to avoid its occurrence.

WHILE ACCOMPLISHING THE ABOVE GOALS, WE WILL COVER THE FOLLOWING DETAILED TOPICS:

• The difference between a solid and a fluid
• The importance of fluid viscosity
• Compressibility of liquids and gases
• Surface tension
• Pressure in a fluid due to gravity and acceleration
• The most mis-used fluid dynamic relation, Bernoulli's equation
• Conservation of mass through use of the Reynolds transport theorem
• F=ma through use of the Reynolds transport theorem
• Buckingham pi theorem to analyze dimensions
• Introduction to a number of important nondimensional parameters including Reynolds number
• Investigating the relation between pressure and flow in cicular pipes
• Investigating the difference between laminar and turbulent pipe flow
• Non-circular pipes
• Basics of turbomachinery (dimensional analysis & pressure-flow relations)
• Series and parallel combinations of pipes*
• Flow near surfaces, i.e. boundary layer flow
• Viscous drag and form drag
• Isentropic and nonisentropic compressible flow

* If time permits

HOW WE WILL ACCOMPLISHED ALL THIS

Knowledge of fluid mechanics will not only give you another valuable tool in your engineering toolbox, but it will give you an appreciation for many interesting aspects of life you may have never thought about before taking this class. For example, although most people probably know maple syrup is more viscous than water, air is too in a very important sense. Here are some other facts. The air right at the outer surface of an airplane is dragged along at the speed of the plane. The pressure inside a very small water droplet is huge. Water exiting a garden hose nozzle is subjected to g-forces that would cause you to loose consciousness. With careful use of dimensions we can predict the behavior of big parachutes in air from experiments on small parachutes in water. Movies showing ships at sea appear unrealistic when small models are used no matter how careful the filmmakers are. Water leaving a garden hose can look very smooth at low velocities but rough at higher velocities. A rod-type car radio antenna whistles with a fairly pure tone at some velocities but not at others. Golf balls have dimples, but racketballs do not.

Lecture is the time wesink our teeth in to the various topics together . You are encouraged to read the textbook and try the problems before coming to class and to become involved more than just listening. I will frequently call on the class to help get ideas across and expect individuals to respond. The material for each week will be available ahead of time. So you will always know what we will do in class in enough time to become somewhat familiar with the portion of the textbook what pertains to each lecture.

Recitation is the time to clear up everything having to do with the previous week's lectures and homework. You are encouraged to raise questions, and the class as a whole is encouraged to pitch in to answer those questions. It should look like a free-for-all every once and a while.

Please note that utilizing the office hours can be very helpful to you---that is why we have them! I cannot think of a better element to include in preparation for an exam than a list of the questions about things you cannot figure out by yourself or with your study group and coming to an office hour for the answers. Going into an exam knowing you have unanswered questions is, well, a little dangerous. The schedule of office hours may change during the quarter depending on your needs, so keep us informed. Although e-mail is not the best medium for discussing engineering concepts, it works for clear questions that only need short answers. And don't forget the class e-mail list if you want to broadcast a question or comment to the entire class.

There will be three exams during the quarter (Jan. 28, Feb. 18 and Mar. 11. The exams will be closed textbook but with one, two, then three 8.5x11 inch crib sheets allowed (two sides each) for consecutive exams consisting of your own hand-written material. To be fair to your classmates, there will be no late make-up exams other than in documented medical or personal emergencies.

Course grades will be based on hour exams 75%, (3 x 25%), total homework points 15% and project 10%. A simple algorithm will be used to assign grades along a straight line on a graph of Grade vs Percent of Total Possible Points. The line goes between [50%, 1.4] and [90%, 4.0]. If you attain 90% or greater, you receive a 4.0, and at least 50% of the points are needed to pass the course. This simple approach to grading allows you at any time during the course to figure out what score is needed for any remaining portion of the course to attain a target grade. The last time the course was taught this scheme resulted in an average grade of 3.3.

A message/discussion board is available for you use. Feel free to use it for finding help with homwork problems, for example. Instructors will use it too, for noncriticical information to the class.

A class e-mail address me333aa_wi05@u.washington.edu is also avaialble. Enrolled students and course instructors are automatically subscribed to the list, which is updated nightly to reflect any changes in course enrollment. You are free to use it to send messages to the entire class. Instructors will use it for messages that are important enough for the entire class to recieve them. It is assumed you check e-mail virtually every day.

You may give us anonymous feedback on the course via e-mail, or if you would like a response, include your name and e-mail address on the form. Thanks!