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Viscosity and
Beyond: Basics of
Applied Rheology
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Viscosity and Beyond:

Basics of Applied Rheology
By Gina Paroline

Measuring viscosity is a tried and true technique for

characterizing fluids. But frequently viscosity measurements
are not made correctly and accordingly do not provide reliable
or meaningful information.
Viscosity is a parameter used to describe the flow properties
of fluids. Measurement takes place by applying a force to the
fluid and measuring the resulting flow. So, if a sample does not
flow, viscosity is not the best parameter to describe its physical
properties.
Too often it is assumed that viscosity is a material function which
is not impacted by the conditions under which the measurement
is made. For some fluids, i.e. simple fluids, viscosity is a
material function dependent only on the temperature and
pressure at which the measurement is made. Simple fluids
have no dependence on the shear conditions under which the
viscosity measurement is made.
However, many fluids of great commercial interest are not
simple. Instead they are complex in that they are mixtures of
components in different phases (solids, liquids, gases). Such
complex fluids have structure within them which is sensitive
to shear resulting in their viscosity not being a single value
at a given temperature and pressure but an array of values
depending on the amount of shear applied.
Simple fluids include materials such as water, solvents, oils, and
syrups (at certain temperatures). For these types of materials,
the viscosity can be measured under any shear condition and
the result will be the same for a given temperature and pressure.
But for those very important complex fluids, viscosity is a
function of shear. To obtain meaningful viscosity data, one
must consider what shear conditions are relevant for the task
at hand.

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For viscosity measurements to be meaningful, they must

be conducted at a shear rate appropriate for the technical
application requiring the viscosity data.

By varying the applied shear, as either a shear stress or shear

rate in a rotational viscometer or rheometer, the sensitivity to
shear can be assessed and samples ranked based upon the
measured viscosity at the various shear conditions as well as
the slope of the curve when these viscosity points at the various
shear conditions are connected.
For all but simple fluids, viscosity is a curve and to obtain
meaningful data the viscosity should be measured over as
broad a range of shear conditions possible. For instance, if
one only measures viscosity at a shear rate of 100 1/s, that
measured point may do well at predicting the performance of
a sample during pumping but it would likely not provide any
useful information about the samples sedimentation stability.

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Modulus is the stiffness of a material.
When a force is applied to a solid material it deforms a certain
amount. This relationship between the magnitude of applied
force and the magnitude of the resulting deformation is modulus
(shown below as shear modulus G).

Solids also have the interesting property of maintaining their

shape and have the ability to store the energy from the applied
force then use that stored energy to retain their shape once the
force is removed.
In the example above, these two materials have extremely
similar viscosity at a shear rate of 100 1/s but are dramatically
different materials as witnessed by their viscosity a lower shear
conditions.
When shear is applied to structured fluids, without doubt the
structure is damaged to an extent relative to the amount of
shear. The change in viscosity with shear in the example above
stems from this change in structure.
For complex fluids, viscosity for a material should be measured
over the full range of shear conditions that material will
experience during its life from low shear storage conditions,
to medium shear use conditions, to high shear production
conditions.
But what if the material does not flow? If viscosity is a measure
of how much a sample flows under an applied force, then
viscosity is not an appropriate parameter to describe materials
that do not flow.
Now the need for rheological measurements is seen.

From a rheological measurement, not only the stiffness

(modulus) of a solid can be determined but its ability to store
energy and retain shape (elasticity) is as well. For this reason,
often when reading about rheological measurements the terms
solid-like and elastic behavior will be used interchangeably.
Beyond measuring viscosity, rheometer have the ability to
measure modulus by precisely controlling the applied strain
(deformation or displacement) while measuring the required
shear stress (force or torque for a rotational rheometer) or vice
versa.
So with a rheometer, all kinds of materials can be characterized
from simple liquids to pure solids.
But the tricky aspect is that most materials of commercial
interest have both fluid flow (viscous) characteristics and solid
deformation (elastic) characteristics, i.e most materials are
viscoelastic.
The materials shown below between the pure liquid on the
left and the pure solid on the right show the vast array of
viscoelastic materials.

Rheology is the study of the flow and deformation properties

of materials. The viscosity measurements described above fall
into the flow part of this definition so rheometers are also
viscometers in that they can measure the viscosity of fluids.
Materials with much structure, such as solids, do not flow
under an applied force rather they deform as a result of the
applied force. For such materials, instead of speaking in terms
of viscosity, the correct parameter to describe their physical
properties is modulus.

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Quite often the desired performance characteristics of a
material are governed by the balance between its viscous and
elastic characteristics.
Providing this critical information on the viscoelastic balance is
where a rheometer becomes indispensable.

The ratio of the magnitude of the input oscillation wave and the
output oscillation wave is the modulus so the stiffness of the
material is known. And the dampening, or lag, of the output
wave relative to the input wave holds the information on the
viscoelastic balance and is called the phase angle.

Viscoelastic balance is important in a sample like a paint

because it needs to flow well (viscous behavior) while at the
same time having adequate structure at rest to keep the
components from separating (elastic behavior).

A simple liquid has a 90 phase angle. A pure solid has a

0 phase angle. All of the viscoelastic materials have phase
angles between 0 and 90.
Measurements conducted in this manner are called oscillatory
measurements, or dynamic mechanical analysis, and are what
set rheometers apart from viscometers.
For a toothpaste, the viscoelastic balance must be such that
the paste can flow out of the tube when squeezed (viscous
behavior) but then retain its cylindrical shape (elastic behavior)
once on the toothbrush.

Sources Cited:
Menard, Kevin P. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis. CRC Press,
2008. Print
Mezger, Thomas G. Applied Rheology with Joe Flow on the
Rheology Road. Anton Paar GmbH, 2015. Print.
Mezger, Thomas G. The Rheology Handbook: For Users of
Rotational and Oscillatory Rheometers. Hannover: Vincentz
Network, 2006. Print

A rheometer goes about measuring viscoelastic behavior by

applying a forced oscillation to the sample and monitoring
how the sample dampens the oscillation. An input oscillation
wave is put onto the sample and an output oscillation wave
is measured as the samples response. Two useful pieces of
information are gained which allow the viscoelastic balance of
the sample to be quantified.

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