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Factors Affecting Viscosity

Which Factors?

A substance’s flow behaviour depends on three factors:

 The substance’s inner - molecular – structure. The tighter the molecules are linked, the more
the substance will resist deformation, i.e. the less it will be willing to flow.
 The outside or external forces acting upon the substance that deform it or make it flow.
Both the intensity of the external force as well as the duration has an influence. Only
Newtonian liquids are independent of the external force. The external force can have the
form of wiping or pushing or tearing a substance; the simplest form is gravity, which pulls all
substances down to earth. In viscometry, the external forces figure as shear rate or shear
stress.
 The ambient conditions. The temperature and the pressure when the substance is stressed
by external forces.

Depending on these factors the substance flows and develops different types of flow. Only one type
of flow is suitable for testing a substance's viscosity.

Factors influencing a substance's flow behaviour: Inner structure, external forces, ambient
conditions

Flow Conditions - Laminar or Turbulent

For testing a fluid's viscosity, defined flow conditions are essential. The fluid has to develop laminar
flow. With laminar flow, the substance moves in imaginary thin layers in which molecules do not
change from one layer to another. The flow has an orderly structure.

In turbulent flow, on the other hand, no recognizable structure or layers can be observed. Molecules
move freely. The fluid forms vortices.
If testing a fluid under turbulent flow conditions, the results will give a falsely higher viscosity. (The
turbulent movement of the molecules will be misinterpreted - so to speak - as higher flow resistance
by a measuring instrument).

Practical examples: A shear rate that is too high for the tested substance can lead to turbulent flow.
That means that e.g. too fast runtimes for glass capillary viscometers or spindles which turn too fast
in rotational viscometers can cause turbulent flow.
Laminar flow: Molecules move in separate layers | Turbulent flow: No recognizable structure or
layers

Shear Rate

The shear rate is an important parameter in defining viscosity (refer to the two-plates model) and
also in specifying a substance's flow behaviour.
The vital question is whether a change of shear rate does or does not change a fluid's viscosity. This
question draws the line between Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids.

 Ideally viscous or Newtonian Liquids

If a fluid's internal flow resistance is independent of the external force – i.e. the shear rate - acting
upon the fluid, it is ideally viscous. Such fluids are named Newtonian liquids after Sir Isaac Newton,
who discovered the mathematical relation between viscosity and the external force acting upon a
fluid. A viscosity function means plotting the viscosity over the shear rate. The viscosity function of a
Newtonian liquid is a straight line (curve 1). Typical Newtonian liquids are water or salad oil.

 Non-Newtonian Liquids

If a substance is not ideally viscous, its viscosity changes with the shear rate. For such substances the
apparent viscosity is specified. There are substances that show shear-thinning behaviour (curve 2).
Their viscosity decreases when the shear rate increases. For other substances the viscosity increases
with increasing shear rate – that is called shear-thickening (curve 3).

For example yoghurt and shower gel show shear-thinning behaviour, while starch solutions show
shear-thickening behaviour. These are just two of the most basic examples of potential flow
behaviour. Learn more about how shear rate can influence a substance’s flow behaviour in World of
rheology.
Viscosity function (dynamic viscosity over shear rate):
1. Newtonian liquid; 2. shear-thinning substance; 3. shear-thickening substance
Temperature

A fluid's viscosity strongly depends on its temperature. Along with the shear rate, temperature really
is the dominating influence. The higher the temperature is, the lower a substance's viscosity is.
Consequently, decreasing temperature causes an increase in viscosity. The relationship between
temperature and viscosity is inversely proportional for all substances. A change in temperature
always affects the viscosity – it depends on the substance just how much it is influenced by a
temperature change. For some fluids a decrease of 1°C already causes a 10 % increase in viscosity.

Temperature influence on viscosity:


-1°C in temperature => +10 % in viscosity

Pressure

In most cases, a fluid's viscosity increases with increasing pressure. Compared to the temperature
influence, liquids are influenced very little by the applied pressure. The reason is that liquids (other
than gases) are almost non-compressible at low or medium pressures. For most liquids, a
considerable change in pressure from 0.1 to 30 MPa causes about the same change in viscosity as a
temperature change of about 1 K (1°C).

Even for the enormous pressure difference of 0.1 to 200 MPa the viscosity increase for most low-
molecular liquids amounts to a factor 3 to 7 only. However, for mineral oils with high viscosity this
factor can be up to 20000. For synthetic oils, this pressure change can even result in a viscosity
increase by a factor of up to 8 million. For example, lubricants in cogwheels or gears can be
submitted to pressures of 1 GPa and higher. For better understanding, refer to the conversion
equation for pressure units: 1 bar = 0.1 MPa = 105 Pa = 105 N/m2

For most liquids, viscosity increases with increasing pressure because the amount of free volume in
the internal structure decreases due to compression. Consequently, the molecules can move less
freely and the internal friction forces increase. The result is an increased flow resistance.
Pressure influence on viscosity:
approx. +30 MPa in pressure => +10 % in viscosity

 The Flow Behaviour of Water under Pressure

The anomaly that water has its maximum density at +4°C is widely known. Such an anomaly can also
be observed for the flow behavior of water under pressure. For temperatures >+32°C, water
behaves like other liquids. Its viscosity increases with increasing pressure. Below +32°C and under
pressures of up to 20 MPa, the water's viscosity decreases with increasing pressure. The reason is
that the structure of the three-dimensional network of hydrogen bridges is destroyed. This network
is rather stronger than the structures of other low-molecular liquids.

Literature References

Thomas G. Mezger, 'The Rheology Handbook', 3rd revised Edition, (C) 2011 Vincentz Network,
Hanover, Germany

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