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Understanding Viscosity and Shear Stress

The document discusses the concept of shear stress in fluids, explaining how it occurs when layers of fluid slide past each other due to differences in velocity. Viscosity is highlighted as a key property that determines a fluid's resistance to deformation under shear stress, with water and syrup used as examples to illustrate varying viscosities. The principles apply to both liquids and gases, demonstrating that shear stress affects movement in all fluid types.

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2 views2 pages

Understanding Viscosity and Shear Stress

The document discusses the concept of shear stress in fluids, explaining how it occurs when layers of fluid slide past each other due to differences in velocity. Viscosity is highlighted as a key property that determines a fluid's resistance to deformation under shear stress, with water and syrup used as examples to illustrate varying viscosities. The principles apply to both liquids and gases, demonstrating that shear stress affects movement in all fluid types.

Uploaded by

kutukutu19kutu
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Viscosity and flow transcript

DR DUNCAN BORMAN: Program Leader, Civil and Structural


Engineering, University of Leeds: If you drag your hand across the top of a
surface of a body of water, you're able to move the water; it flows.

There's a small resistance on your hand from the water, which is a result of
layers of water having to slide past one another. The water closer to your hand
moves at the speed of your hand, but the water lower down moves slower.
Shear stress occurs inside a fluid when layers of a fluid slide past each other
due to the differences in fluid velocity; stress is just the force per unit area.
Shear stress is one of the important concepts we need to be aware of when
thinking about fluids. We can think of the shear stress as describing a
material's internal resistance to deformation when subjected to a force or load

Page 1 of 2 © University of Leeds


Fluid Dynamics

that acts parallel to it. In this example, a hand moves parallel to the surface of
the water and imparts shear stress on the surface.

Key to how large the shear stress will be is the fluid's viscosity. Viscosity is the
property of a fluid that determines how much the fluid deforms for a given
shear stress. It's a measure of the internal molecular force between adjacent
layers of fluid that need to move against each other. For example, water has a
lower viscosity than syrup, so you need more force to drag your hand through
a sink of syrup than a sink of water.

Another way to think of this is that the syrup exhibits a higher internal shear
stress, and it needs more shear force to deform it. That's why it's much easier
to stir a mug of tea than a mug of syrup.

Now, we've used the example of liquids here as it's easier to visualise, but the
same applies to a gas. Gas is a fluid, too. Think about wafting a hand through
some smoke, there's still some resistance to movement as the smoke swirls.
Think of air resistance acting on a car or cyclist as they travel faster. These
are all due to the shear stress in the fluid creating a resistance and needing
energy to deform.

[End]

Page 2 of 2 © University of Leeds

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