MAE 91 Summer 2013

Problem Set 1: Solutions

Problem 1
Density of bers, rock wool insulation, foams and cotton is fairly low. Why is that?

I. Problem description

Explain the low density of the given materials.

Given materials: bers, rock wool insulation, foams and cotton.

II. Analytical Solution

All those materials, ber, rock wool insulation, foams and cotton consist of some solid substance and
mainly air or other gas.
Volume of ber and rock wool: solid substance. Therefore, the volume of ber and rock wool is
low relative to the total volume that includes air, that is,

overall =

mtotal
msolid + mair
=
Vtotal
Vsolid + Vair

where most if these mass is solid and most of the volume is air.

overall =

overall =
If

Vair  Vsolid ,

then

msolid
Vsolid
mair
Vair
+
Vsolid + Vair Vsolid
Vsolid + Vair Vair
Vsolid
Vair
solid +
air
Vsolid + Vair
Vsolid + Vair

Vsolid /Vair  1
overall

Vsolid
solid + air
Vair

overall air
Those materials are very porous and contain air, so the mass is almost negligible.

MAE 91 Summer 2013

Problem Set 1: Solutions

Problem 2
An apple weights 60g and has a volume of

75cm3

in a refrigerator at

8 C .

What is the apple density?

List three intensive and two extensive properties of the apple.

I Problem description

Known:

mapple = 60g

apple

Vapple = 75cm3
Tapple = 8 C

3 Intensive, 2 extensive properties

II. Assumptions

Density of the apple is uniform.

III. Analytical Solution

apple =

mapple
Vapple

Intensive:
Extensive:

, T , v =

m, v

IV. Numerical solution

apple =

0.06kg
75106 m3

Unknown:

= 800kg/m3

MAE 91 Summer 2013

Problem Set 1: Solutions

Problem 3
A storage tank of stainless steel contains 7kg of oxygen gas and 5kg of nitrogen gas. How many kmoles
are in the tank?

I Problem description

Known:

Unknown:

Stainless steel tank

Total moles of oxygen and nitrogen gas com-

mO2 = 7kg

bined

mN2 = 5kg
II. Analytical Solution

Find molar mass of both gases in table A.5

MO2 = 31.999kg/kmol
MN2 = 28.013kg/kmol
The number of moles is given by,

nO2 =
nN2 =

m O2
M O2
mN2
MN2

III. Numerical solution

nO2 =

7
31.999

nN2 =

= 0.2187kmol

5
28.013

= 0.1784kmol

MAE 91 Summer 2013

Problem Set 1: Solutions

Problem 4
A tank has two rooms separated by a membrane. Room A has 1 kg air and volume
has

0.75m

I Problem description

Given:

VA = 0.5m3
VB = 0.75m3
B = 0.8kg/m3
II. Assumption

None

III. Analytical Solution

mAB
VAB

mA +mB
VA +VB

mA +B VB
VA +VB

IV. Numerical solution

mAB = mA + mB = mA + B VB = 1 + 0.8 0.75 = 1.6kg

VAB = VA + VB = 0.5 + 0.75 = 1.25m3
AB =

mAB
VAB

Find:
Final density of the air,

mA = 1kg

AB =

room B

air with density 0.8kg/m3 . The membrane is broken and the air comes to a uniform state.

Find the nal density of the air.

0.5m3 ,

1.6
1.25

= 1.28kg/m3

Sketch

AB

MAE 91 Summer 2013

Problem Set 1: Solutions

Problem 5
The density of atmospheric air is about

1.15kg/m3 , which we assume is constant.

How large an absolute

pressure will a pilot see when ying 2000 m above ground level where the pressure is 101 kPa.

I Problem description

Given:

air = 1.15kg/m

Find:

Patm@2000m

Patm = 101kPa
h = 2000m
II. Assumption

Density is not a function of altitude.

III. Analytical Solution

P = Patm gh
IV. Numerical solution

P = 101000 1.15 9.81 2000 = 78.4kPa

MAE 91 Summer 2013

Problem Set 1: Solutions

Problem 6
Two cylinders are lled with liquid water,

= 1000kg/m3 ,

and connected by a line with a closed valve.

A has 100kg and B has 500kg of water, their cross-sectional areas are
and the height

AA = 0.1m2

and

AB = 0.25m2

is 1 m. Find the pressure on each side of the valve. The valve is opened and water

ows to an equilibrium. Find the nal pressure at the valve location.

I Problem description

Given:

AB = 0.25m2

= 1000kg/m3

h = 1m

mA = 100kg

Find:

mB = 500kg

1.

PA , PB

before valve opens

AA = 0.1m2

2.

PA , PB

after valve opens

Sketch

II. Assumption

P0 = 100kPa
III. Analytical Solution

1. Before the valve opens:

PA = P0 + ghA
PB = P0 + g (H + hB )
To nd

hA : VA =

mA

hA =

mA
AA

To nd

hB : VB =

mB

hB =

mB
AB

MAE 91 Summer 2013

Problem Set 1: Solutions

2. After the valve opens and equilibrium state is reached, the water level on both sides will be the
same.

VT otal = VA + VB + Vpipe = h2 AA + (h2 H) AB + Vpipe

h2 =

VA +VB +HAB
AA +AB

1
(mA +mB )+HAB

AA +AB

PA = PB = P0 + gh2
IV. Numerical solution

1.

hA =

100
10000.1

hB =

500
10000.25

= 1m
= 2m

PA = P0 + ghA = 100 103 + 1000 9.8 1 = 109.8kPa

PB = P0 + g (H + hB ) = 100 103 + 1000 9.8 3 = 129.4kPa
2.

h2 =

1
(mA +mB )+HAB

AA +AB

1
1000 (100+500)+10.25

0.1+0.25

= 2.428m

PA = PB = 100 103 + 1000 9.81 2.428 = 123.8kPa

MAE 91 Summer 2013

Problem Set 1: Solutions

Problem 7
A 5-kg piston in a cylinder with diameter of 100 mm is loaded with a linear spring and the outside
atmospheric pressure of 100 kPa as shown in Fig. below. The spring exerts no force on the piston
when it is at the bottom of the cylinder and for the state shown, the pressure is 400 kPa with volume
0.4 L. The valve is opened to let some air in, causing the piston to rise 2 cm. Find the new pressure.

I Problem description

V1 = 0.4L

Given:

mP iston = 5kg

h2 = h1 + 0.02m

Dcyl = 100mm = 0.1m

P0 = 100kPa
P1 = 400kPa

Find:
New pressure,

P2 .

Sketch

II. Analytical Solution

A linear spring adds a linear force proportional to displacement.

pressure then varies linearly with volume:

V = 0,

and b is the slope

b=

P = a + bV ,

where

F = ky ,

so the equilibrium

is the intersect or pressure for

dp
dV . When the volume is almost zero (V

0m3 ),

no force exerted

by the spring and a force balance leads to the reference state,

mp ap y =

Fexternal

0 = P Acyl P0 Acyl mpiston g

Pref = P0 +

mpiston g
Acyl

Now, considering the linear variation of the pressure at

a = P0

mpiston g
Acyl

The slope is given by,

V = 0m3 , Pref = a.

Then,

MAE 91 Summer 2013

dp
dV

where

P1 Pref
V1 Vref

Acyl =

D 2
4

Problem Set 1: Solutions

P1 Pref
V1

Since,

V2 = V1 + Ap h = V1 + Ap (h2 h1 )
From

P = a + bV ,

P2 = Pref +

dp
dV

V2
P2 = Pref +

An expression can be given in terms of

P1

P2 = P1 +

P1 Pref
V2
V1

as,

P1 Pref
(V2 V1 )
V1

Another approach is using the force of the spring,

0 = P Acyl P0 Acyl mpiston g ky

P = P0 +
since

mpiston g
Acyl

k
Acyl y

k
V
A2cyl

V = Acyl y

P = P0 +

mpiston g
Acyl

Evaluating

P1 = P0 +

P at state 1,
mpiston g
+ Ak2 V1
Acyl
cyl

And solving for the spring constant,

k
A2cyl

P1 P0

mpiston g
Acyl

V1

mpiston g P1 P0
P = P0 +
+
Acyl
V1

mpiston g
Acyl

III. Numerical solution

Acyl =

0.12
4

= 0.007854m2

Pref = 100000 +

59.8
0.00785

= 106.2kPa

V2 = V1 + Ap (h2 h1 ) = 0.4 + 0.00785 0.02 1000 = 0.557L

P2 = Pref +

P1 Pref
V1

V2 = 106.2 +

400106.2
0.557
0.4

= 515.3kPa