Viscosity

Home

Next
Slide
Viscosity
Home

By the end of this

presentation you will:

 Understand the basic theory of

viscosity
 Know the factors that affect
viscosity
 Be familiar with the instruments
used to measure viscosity

•Next
Slide
 Viscosity
Home

What is Viscosity?
 Derived from “Viscum” for mistletoe
 Technical – measure of resistance of a
fluid which is being deformed by either
shear stress or extensional stress
 Common – thickness or resistance to
flow
 Simplified – measure of fluid friction

Next
Slide
 Viscosity Home

Shear
 Amount of force required to cause a
layer of fluid to move against another
layer of the same fluid
 Occurs when fluid is physically moved
or distributed (pouring, spreading,
spraying, mixing, etc.)

Next
Slide
Viscosity Home

 Newtonian fluids vs
Non-Newtonian fluids
 Shear stress and
velocity gradient
relationship
 Plate sandwich
 Dynamic Viscosity

Next
Slide
 Viscosity Home

Units of measure
 Dynamic Viscosity = poise or centipoise
 Kinematic Viscosity = stokes or centistokes

Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille George Gabriel Stokes

Next
Slide
 Viscosity Home

Newtonian Fluids
 Viscosity of a Newtonian fluid will
remain constant regardless of which
Viscometer model, spindle or speed
you use to measure it.

Next
Slide
 Viscosity Home

Temperature
 One of the most obvious
factors that can have an effect
on the viscosity of a material
 Some materials are quite
sensitive to temperature, and a
relatively small variation will
result in a significant change in
viscosity.
 Others are relatively
insensitive.
Next
Slide
Viscosity Home

Shear Rate
 Essential to know material’s
viscosity at the projected shear
rates.
 If not known, an estimate
should be made
 Viscosity measurements should
then be made at shear rates as
close as possible to the
estimated values.

Next
Slide
 Viscosity Home

Brookfield Viscometer

 Process standard equipment for

decades.
 Changeable spindles
 Temperature control with water
bath
 Available with digital readout
 Require frequent calibration.

Next
Slide
Viscosity
Home

Anton-Paar Viscometer

 New technology
 Very robust
 Digital readout
 Simple to use
 No water bath needed