PX285 - H3 - mechanical perspective of fluids
-
fluid is a substance which cannot resist shear force without motion, and does not return to its initial state when stress is removed
-
stress can be defined similar to pressure, ie. force per unit area:
- considering a brick fixed on a surface,
, and an external force, is applied to it - the stress deforms this solid object, where
is the deformation due to the stress

- defining strain,
:
where,
- in a fluid, there are no binding forces, and the strain, caused by stress, builds up in time

- therefore, in fluids,
where,
where,
-
in summary, as a response to shear forces, a solid deforms whereas a fluid flows
-
the relaxation time indicates how quickly the stress adjusts to the new sheared state
-
initially,
, the stress is like in a solid -
then, for
, the fluid starts to flow, and the stress relaxes into a new sheared state