Fluid Waves
Overview
The aim of this unit is to equip students with the ability to recognise, model and solve fluid wave problems. The systematic introduction of mathematical theory will be illustrated with examples from building acoustics, medical ultrasound and microfluidic engineering, and in environmental sciences such as oceanography and atmospheric physics.
Requisites
01-June-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Describe and apply the fundamentals of fluid wave physics (K1, K2, K3, K4, A2)
- Derive the origins of wave behaviour in fluid systems (K1, K2)
- Appreciate fluid wave physics in natural and engineered contexts (K2, K3, S1, S2, S3, A2)
- Quantify wave-physical phenomena in diverse natural and engineered contexts (K1, K2)
- Analyse natural phenomena to contribute to new designs (K2, K3, S1, S2, S3, A2)
- Apply principles of fluid-wave physics to predictions of environmental phenomena and design of engineering systems (K3, K4, S2, S3)
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Lecture | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Live Online Lecture | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| On-campus Class | 1.00 | 8 weeks | 8 |
| On-campus Lab | 1.00 | 4 weeks | 4 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 9.50 | 12 weeks | 114 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Individual | 10 - 30% | 1,2,3,4,5,6 |
| Examination | Individual | 40 - 50% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Laboratory Report | Individual/Group | 10 - 30% | 1,2 |
| Test | Individual | 5 - 10% | 1,2,3,4 |
Hurdle
As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, an undergraduate student must have achieved:
(i) an aggregate mark of 50% or more, and(ii) at least 40% in the final exam.Students who do not successfully achieve hurdle requirement (ii) will receive a maximum of 45% as the total mark for the unit.
Content
- Introduction: a practical problem requiring a non-dispersive calculation
- Continuity and Navier-Stokes equations
- Derivation of the wave equation for the practical problem
- Solution by separation of variables and d’Alembert methods
- Constitutive relations for compressible homogeneous fluids
- Wave equation for non-dispersive waves
- Reflection, refraction, reverberation
- Applications to building design, acoustic and musical engineering, and non-destructive testing
- Resonance, linear wave interactions, scattering
- Doppler effect; bubble acoustics
- Application to medical ultrasound diagnostics and microfluidic systems
- Constitutive relations for inhomogeneous atmospheres and oceans
- Wave equation for dispersive waves
- Application to aviation and maritime forecasting
- Introduction to nonlinear waves: medical therapeutics, micro-engineering and environmental flows
- Calculations on renewable-energy applications in a real-life techno-economic context
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.