Fluid Dynamics: Theory, Computation, and Numerical Simulation

Fluid Dynamics: Theory, Computation, and Numerical Simulation is the only available book that extends the classical field of fluid dynamics into the realm of scientific computing in a way that is both comprehensive and accessible to the beginner. The theory of fluid dynamics, and the implementation of solution procedures into numerical algorithms, are discussed hand-in-hand and with reference to computer programming. This book serves as an introductory course in fluid mechanics, covering traditional topics in a way that unifies theory, computation, computer programming, and numerical simulation. The approach is truly introductory, in the sense that few prerequisites are required. The audience includes not only advanced undergraduate and entry-level graduate students, but also a broad class of scientists and engineers with a general interest in scientific computing. Two distinguishing features of the discourse are: solution procedures and algorithms are developed immediately after problem formulations are presented; and numerical methods are introduced on a need-to-know basis and in increasing order of difficulty. A supplement to this book is the FORTRAN software library FDLIB, freely available through the Internet, whose programs explicitly illustrate how computational algorithms translate into computer code instructions. The codes of FDLIB range from introductory to advanced, and the problems considered span a broad range of applications; from laminar channel flows, to vortex flows, to flows in aerodynamics. Selected computer problems at the end of each section ask the student to run the programs for various flow conditions, and thereby study the effect of the various parameters determining or characterizing a flow. This text is a must for practitioners and students in all fields of engineering, computational physics, scientific computing, and applied mathematics. It can be used as a text in both undergraduate and graduate courses in fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, and computational fluid dynamics.