ROTATING/PARALLEL DISK VISCOMETERS

The rotating disk or the parallel disk geometry suggested by Mooney consists of a
disk rotating inside a cylindrical cavity formed by two dies maintained at specified
conditions of temperature and die closure force. It is used extensively for measuring
viscosity of rubber. Several modifications to the original design of Mooney led to
current commercial rotating disk viscometers. The detailed construction features of
a rotating disk viscometer, better known as the Mooney viscometer, are described in
Test method ASTM D 1646. The Mooney viscometer is capable of measuring the
effect of temperature and time on the viscosity of rubbers. If the stress relaxation test
is to be performed, the rotation of the disk is stopped and the relaxation of stress
versus time is measured. The dies and die holders forming the cavity are fabricated
from a nondeforming steel, that has an unplated finish. The surfaces of the die cavity
are either serrated or contain V-grooves to minimize slippage of the sample. The test
procedure is given in ASTM D 3346. The viscosity of rubber is expressed as Mooney
viscosity, which is an arbitrary measure of the viscosity of a rubber determined in a
Mooney shearing disk viscometer, indicated by the torque required to rotate the disk
embedded in a rubber specimen and enclosed in the die cavity under specified
conditions. The theory for calculating viscosity and shear stress using a rotating disk
viscometer along with various correction factors has been described by a number of
researchers. Goodrich and Chatterjee analyzed numerically the fluid flow in the
neighborhood of a rotating disk inserted into a liquid interface. They concluded that
the rotating disk viscometer may not be the best instrument for determination of low
surface viscosity. Cross and Kaye obtained rubber viscosity/shear rate data (R) with
a parallel disk viscometer from measurements of viscous torque as a function of disk
separation and angular velocity using a modified procedure via an equation which
related the rim shear stress to the torque and the disk radius. The data appeared to be
satisfactory Perry et al. designed a parallel-disk viscometer which can be fitted
directly onto a reaction-injection molding machine and provided the criteria for
isothermal operation, taking into account both conduction to the viscometer and the
rapid exothermic reaction typical of reaction-injection molding polymer solutions.
Figure Schematic of a parallel disk viscometer (Mooney viscometer).
Other issues that were addressed by various researchers include viscometric flow
under apparent wall slip, operation for high Reynolds number and instability of a
viscoelastic fluid.
Parallel-disk viscometer (Fig. 3B.5). A fluid, whose viscosity is to be measured, is
placed in the gap of thickness B between the two disks of radius R. One measures
the torque T, required to turn the upper disk at an angular velocity cC1. Develop the
formula for deducing the viscosity from these measurements. Assume creeping flow.

(a) Postulate that for small values of fl the velocity profiles

have the form v, = 0, v, = 0, and v, = rf(z); why does
this form for the tangential velocity seem reasonable? Postulate
further that 9 = 9(r, z). Write down the resulting
simplified equations of continuity and motion.
(b) From the 8-component of the equation of motion, obtain
a differential equation for f(z). Solve the equation for
f(z) and evaluate the constants of integration. This leads
ultimately to the result v, = ar(z/B). Could you have
guessed this result?
(c) Show that the desired working equation for deducing
the viscosity is p = 22BTZ/dR4.
(d) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this instrument.
Solution
Reference
Viscosity of Liquids: Theory, Estimation, Experiment, and Data By Dabir S.
Viswanath, Tushar K. Ghosh, Dasika H.L. Prasad, Nidamarty V.K. Dutt,
Kalipatnapu Y. Rani