Rheological Properties of Fluids

At constant Temperature & Pressure

• Newtonian Fluids:
– All gases; Ex: Air
– Liquids such as
• kerosene
• Alcohol, Glycerine, Benzene, Hexane, Ether etc.,
• Solutions of inorganic salts
• Sugar in water
 Non-newtonian fluids
Viscosity varies with shear rate

Time- Independent flow

• Bingham Plastics:
– Resists small shear stress
– Do not deform (flow) unless a thresshold shear stress
value is not exceeded
– Flow linearly under the action of larger shear stress
• Ex: Toothpaste, jellies, paints, sewage slude and some
slurries
du
  0  K
dy
 Power law fluids
Power Law or Ostwald-de Waele equation
n'
 du 
  K ' 
 dy 
K’ = flow consistency index ; n’=flow behavior index

• Psuedoplastic fluids (n’<1): Viscosity decreases with

increase in velocity gradient. Shear-rate –thinning fluids
– Ex: Blood, solution of high molecular weight polymers, paper
pulp, muds, most slurries and rubber latex

• Dilatent fluids (n’>1): Viscosity increases with increase in

velocity gradient. Shear-rate-thickening fluids
– Ex: Suspensions of starch in water, pulp in water, sand filled
emulsions.
 Time-dependent flow

• Thixotropic fluids: Viscosity decreases with time

• Rheopectic fluids: Viscosity increases with time
 Viscosity and momentum flux
• X-direction Momentum transfers from one layer to another
in the ‘-y’ direction all the way to the wall, where u=0.
• Momentum at the wall, shear force, is known as wall shear.
Shear stress at the wall

• Momentum transfers from a region of high velocity fluid to

one of low velocity

• Rate of momentum transfer per unit area (momentum

flux) is proportional to velocity gradient (driving force)
• Viscosity- conductivity of momentum