Fluid and Gas Dynamics Area Exams

Scope

This is a 3-hour, written, closed-book, and closed-notes examination. Tables and relevant equations will be provided. The exam places a strong emphasis on control volume analysis and covers primarily the following topics:

  • Basic laws for systems and control volumes
  • Velocity field and kinematics
  • Inviscid flow, including Euler and Bernoulli equations
  • Navier-Stokes equations and applications to simple flows
  • Fundamentals of boundary-layer theory
  • One-dimensional gas dynamics including isentropic flow, Rayleigh line and Fanno line flows, and normal shock waves.

Preparation Guidelines

Courses to review, in order of importance:

  • ME 309 (Fluid Mechanics)
  • ME 509 (Intermediate Fluid Mechanics)
  • ME 510 (Gas Dynamics)

Texts which may be of assistance in reviewing: (asterisks denote principal ones)

  • Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, Fox & McDonald, Wiley.*
  • Fluid Mechanics, White, McGraw-Hill.
  • Engineering Fluid Mechanics, Roberson & Crowe, Houghton Mifflin.
  • Viscous Fluid Flow, White, McGraw-Hill.
  • Boundary Layer Analysis, Prentice-Hall.
  • Gas Dynamics, Vol. I, Zucrow & Hoffman, Wiley.*
  • The Dynamics & Thermodynamics of Compressible Fluid Flow, Vol. I, Shapiro, Ronald Press.
  • Elements of Gas Dynamics, Liepmann & Roshko, Wiley.
  • Incompressible Flow, Panton, Wiley.

Exam Format and Passing Criteria

The exam will consist of four required and four optional problems. All four of the required problems and two of the four optional problems will be graded. Which two optional problems to grade will be indicated by the student. To pass the exam, the student must receive an overall score not less than 70% and scores not less than 70% on at least three of the six graded problems.