Rheology is the study of flow, addresses the viscosity characteristics of powders, fluids, and semisolids.
Materials are divided into two general categories, Newtonian and non-Newtonian, depending on their flow characteristics.
Newtonian flow is characterized by constant viscosity, regardless of the shear rates applied. Non-Newtonian flow is characterized by a change in viscosity characteristics with increasing shear rates. Non-Newtonian flow includes plastic, pseudoplastic, and dilatant flow.
The Newton law of flow relates parallel layers of liquid: with the bottom layer fixed, when a force is placed on the top layer, the top plane moves at constant velocity, and each lower layer moves with a velocity directly proportional to its distance from the stationary bottom layer.
The higher the viscosity of a liquid, the greater the shearing stress required to produce a certain rate of shear. A plot of F versus G yields a rheogram. A Newtonian fluid will plot as a straight line with the slope of the line being η.
The unit of viscosity is the poise, the shearing force required to produce a velocity of 1 cm/s between two parallel planes of liquid, each 1 cm2 in area and separated by a distance of 1 cm. The most convenient unit to use is the centipoise, or cP (equivalent to 0.01 poise).
These basic concepts can be illustrated in the following two graphs:
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