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    • Flow Coefficient, Cv, to Flow Factor, Kv, Converter
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      • Head to Pressure Converter
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    • Speed of Sound in Liquid
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    • Expansion of Series
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      • 2D Shapes
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  • Solid Mechanics
    • Bulk Modulus
    • Stress for Thick Walled Cylinders using Lamé’s Equations
    • Stress for Thin-Walled Spheres & Cylinders
  • Thermodynamics
    • Boltzmann Constant
    • Combustion
      • API Gravity
    • Four Laws of Thermodynamics
    • Gas Constants
    • Ideal Gas Law
My DataBook

Facts, tools and information for Engineers & Scientists.

Speed of Sound in Liquid

Speed of Sound in a Liquid (Static Fluid Wave Speed)

  • Summary
  • Calculate Speed of Sound in a Static Liquid
  • See Also

Summary

In a fluid at rest, the wave speed of a fluid is equivalent to the speed of sound in the same medium, whether liquid or gas.

The speed of sound is calculated from the Newton-Laplace equation:

(1)   \begin{align*}c=\sqrt{\frac{K}{\rho}}\end{align*}

Where c = speed of sound, K = bulk modulus or stiffness coefficient, ρ = density.

Where a pressure wave passes through a liquid contained within an elastic vessel, the liquid’s density and therefore the wave speed will change as the pressure wave passes. This is commonly experienced as water hammer.

Speed of Sound in Static Liquid Calculator

Calculate speed of sound in liquid:

Formula:

c=\sqrt{\frac{K}{\rho}}
  c = speed of sound
K = bulk modulus
ρ = density
Bulk modulus:
Density: kg/m³
 
Result: m/s

See Also

  • Bulk Modulus
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  • Home
  • Fluid Mechanics
    • Flow Coefficient, Cv, to Flow Factor, Kv, Converter
    • Joukowsky Equation
    • Pumps
      • Head to Pressure Converter
    • Speed of Sound in Gas
    • Speed of Sound in Liquid
  • Mathematics
    • Expansion of Series
    • Geometry
      • 2D Shapes
    • Metric Decimal Prefixes
  • Solid Mechanics
    • Bulk Modulus
    • Stress for Thick Walled Cylinders using Lamé’s Equations
    • Stress for Thin-Walled Spheres & Cylinders
  • Thermodynamics
    • Boltzmann Constant
    • Combustion
      • API Gravity
    • Four Laws of Thermodynamics
    • Gas Constants
    • Ideal Gas Law
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