Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-theoretical-mechanics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2011/a/1/b/ii/solution
Past exam of the theoretical mechanics course of the University of Oxford 2011 A 1 b ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
For equilateral triangular pipe flow, the polynomial vanishes on all three walls, so it satisfies no-slip boundary conditions. Direct differentiation givesThusFor , and the velocity is positive in the triangular interior.
At the wall , the outward normal of the fluid is . The axial traction exerted by the wall on the fluid is , so the fluid exerts the opposite axial traction on the wall. Since , the force per unit axial length isIt points with the flow for a negative axial pressure gradient. As a check, the triangular area is , so the total pressure driving force per unit length is ; each of the three equivalent walls receives one third.
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