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diff --git a/content/know/concept/viscosity/index.pdc b/content/know/concept/viscosity/index.pdc new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7abd7a --- /dev/null +++ b/content/know/concept/viscosity/index.pdc @@ -0,0 +1,100 @@ +--- +title: "Viscosity" +firstLetter: "V" +publishDate: 2021-04-12 +categories: +- Physics +- Fluid mechanics +- Fluid dynamics + +date: 2021-04-12T13:14:16+02:00 +draft: false +markup: pandoc +--- + +# Viscosity + +The **viscosity** of a fluid describes how +"sticky" its constituent molecules are; +when one part of the fluid moves, it "drags" +neighbouring parts by an amount proportional to the viscosity. + +Imagine a liquid in a canal, +flowing in the $x$-direction at a velocity $v(z)$ +as a function of depth $z$. +Due to the liquid's viscosity, +its molecules are "stuck" to the bottom of the canal $z = 0$, +such that it is stationary there $v(0) = 0$. +However, at the surface $z = z_s$, there is a flow at $v(z_s) = v_s$. + +This difference in $v$ means that there is a velocity gradient across $z$. +Each infinitesimal layer of the liquid +is dragging on the layers above and below it, +meaning there is a nonzero shear stress $\sigma_{xz}$ +(see [Cauchy stress tensor](/know/concept/cauchy-stress-tensor/)). +Formally, the **dynamic viscosity** $\eta$ is defined as follows: + +$$\begin{aligned} + \boxed{ + \sigma_{xz} + = \eta \dv{v}{z} + } +\end{aligned}$$ + +This is **Newton's law of viscosity**, +and fluids obeying it are known as **Newtonian**. +In a Newtonian fluid *at rest*, there are no such shear stresses, +and the Cauchy stress tensor $\hat{\sigma}$ is diagonal: + +$$\begin{aligned} + \sigma_{ij} = - p \delta_{ij} +\end{aligned}$$ + +Where $p$ is the pressure, and $\delta_{ij}$ is the Kronecker delta. +If the fluid flows according to a velocity field $\va{v}$, +then a more general definition of $\eta$ is as follows, +in index notation with $\nabla_i \!=\! \pdv*{x_i}$: + +$$\begin{aligned} + \boxed{ + \sigma_{ij} + = - p \delta_{ij} + \eta (\nabla_i v_j + \nabla_j v_i) + } +\end{aligned}$$ + +The double term $\nabla_i v_j + \nabla_j v_i$ comes from the fact that +the stress tensor of a Newtonian fluid is always symmetric; +this definition of $\sigma_{ij}$ enforces that. + +Another quantity is the **kinematic viscosity** $\nu$, +which is simply $\eta$ divided by the density $\rho$: + +$$\begin{aligned} + \boxed{ + \nu + \equiv \frac{\eta}{\rho} + } +\end{aligned}$$ + +With this, Newton's law of viscosity is written +using the momentum density $P = \rho v$: + +$$\begin{aligned} + \sigma_{xz} + = \nu \dv{P}{z} +\end{aligned}$$ + +Because momentum is "more fundamental" than velocity, +is $\nu$ often more useful than $\eta$. +However, this comes at the cost of our intuition: +for example, as you would expect, $\eta_\mathrm{water} > \eta_\mathrm{air}$, +but you may be surprised that $\nu_\mathrm{water} < \nu_\mathrm{air}$. +Since air is less dense, it is easier to set in motion, +hence we expect it to be less viscous than water, +but in fact air's molecules are stickier than water's. + + +## References +1. B. Lautrup, + *Physics of continuous matter: exotic and everyday phenomena in the macroscopic world*, 2nd edition, + CRC Press. |