Meccanica (2013) 48:1017–1018 DOI 10.1007/s11012-013-9712-0

BOOK REVIEW

Guido Buresti: Elements of Fluid Dynamics Imperial College Press, 2012 Roberto Verzicco

Received: 7 February 2013 / Accepted: 11 February 2013 / Published online: 20 February 2013 © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

The study of Fluid Dynamics can be motivated from a multitude of applications ranging from industrial to geophysical, environmental or biological. Equally important is the interest stemming from the physical comprehension of the flows or the mathematical structure of the governing equations. Given the broad spectrum of the different points of view, defining the structure of a fluid dynamics textbook is all but an easy task. The author has succeeded in organizing a comprehensive and still accessible book that, starting from the definition of the concept of fluid touches all the most relevant concepts of the fluid dynamics up to the aerodynamics of bluff bodies and finite wings. The book starts with an Introduction that, after having explained the objective of fluid dynamics and its possible applications, describes the intrinsic difficulties carried by the exact governing equations and the needs for a derivation of simplified but useful relations. An enjoyable historical development of fluid dynamics is then given bringing the reader up to the nowadays computers. In the second part of the first Chapter the organization of the book is explained and R. Verzicco () Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133, Rome, Italy e-mail: [email protected] R. Verzicco PoF, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands

a short description of the basic notation and the relevant mathematical relations used throughout the text is given. Chapter 2 introduces the concept of fluid; it briefly refers to its microscopic structure to deduce and define the macroscopic properties that rely on the continuum hypothesis. In Chap. 3 the tools to describe the motion of a fluid are derived starting from the Eulerian and Lagrangian descriptions and obtaining the expression for the material derivative. The deformation of a fluid element is then analyzed and the concept of vorticity introduced. The Chapter is closed by the derivation of the Transport Theorem and some examples of particular cases of motion. The previous material is used in Chap. 4 to derive the equations of fluid motion (conservation of mass and energy and balance of momentum) including the constitutive relations for a Newtonian fluid the consequent Navier–Stokes equations and various forms of energy conservation and balance. Chapter 5 explains the incompressible flow model from the mechanic and thermodynamic point of view. It is shown how the governing equations are modified and the mathematical implications. At the end of the Chapter the Bernoulli theorem and its applicability are given together with a final discussion on the differences between ideal and real flows. Chapter 6 is completely devoted to the incompressible vorticity dynamics and to the explanation of some classical vortical flows.

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In the next Chapter an overview of the boundary layer theory and its implications on the incompressible equations and the flow physics is given. A brief outline of the transition process, the subsequent turbulence and their consequences on the friction coefficient close the Chapter. Chapter 8 is devoted to the aerodynamic forces and their origin in incompressible flows. The special case of the generation of lift is treated with particular care. The closure of the chapter deals with the bluff bodies and some general comments. With Chap. 8 the first part of the book is concluded and a second part begins dedicated to deeper analyses and classical applications. In Chap. 9 some classical steady and unsteady exact solution of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are derived and discussed. Chapter 10 presents an interesting and unconventional application of the energy balance to the analysis of classical flows or to different interpretations of the concepts of drag and added mass. The next Chapter is on the same line as the previous except for the consideration of the vorticity instead of the energy. Once again several original interpretations of the phenomena are given from a different perspective. In Chap. 12 the theory of airfoils in incompressible flows is presented and part of it relies and the theory of potential flows. This part is quite broad and it ranges from pure theoretical issues to more applied aeronautical concepts. Chapter 13 complements the previous part by studying the aerodynamics of finite wings and deriving all the associated loads. Chapter 14 completes the analysis of external aerodynamic by considering the bluff bodies and the produced loads. The last Chapter of the book presents the theory of one-dimensional compressible flows including the nozzles and some flows with friction.

Meccanica (2013) 48:1017–1018

A final Appendix is provided with a first part containing the classical tables for the computation of compressible flow problems and a second part with operators and equations in various coordinate systems. The book ends with a long list of References and a subject Index in alphabetical order. The reading of the book is pleasant, the style is enjoyable, all the notation is consistent and the organization of the material is rational. The figures are usually very simple and mostly limited to sketches, they are, however, always very clear and useful. Something missing in the book are exercises and numerical applications of the explained concepts; this absence could be more important if the book had to be adopted for a course even if in the latter case the teacher could easily make up for the exercises with ad hoc assignments. One of the main merits of the author is that the book has been written in a rigorous way while keeping all the matter accessible; the development of the topics through the book is generally deductive so that reading the chapters following the order given in the volume it is possible to enjoy a complete journey into the world of the incompressible fluid dynamics. The book is quite long and comprehensive and it is unlikely that all the material could be taught within a single course; nevertheless, being the volume organized into two parts, the first could be used at the undergraduate level while the second part would be suitable for a successive course for master or PhD students. ‘Elements of Fluid Dynamics’ should be found in all the technical libraries and in the book shelves of students and researchers involved in fluid dynamics and looking for a deeper view of the field. In summary, the author has developed a sound mathematical description of the incompressible fluid mechanics that has resulted in a rigorous but yet accessible description of the subject.