RHEOLOGY

AND
CLASSIFICATION ChE 134-1P

OF FLUIDS
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Rheology

Rheology is the discipline of fluid mechanics

which studies the relationship between fluid
deformation and stress
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Classification of fluids

 Fluids are classified into two general categories: purely viscous and
viscoelastic.
Purely viscous fluids
▪ These are fluids that are without any solid-like elastic behavior and do not undergo
any reverse deformation when shear stress is removed.
▪ Purely viscous fluids are further classified as time-dependent or time-independent
fluids.
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Classification of fluids

 Time-independent fluids
▪ For time-independent fluids, the shear stress depends only on the instantaneous
shear rate. Their behavior is generally described by the Power Law Model as
follows:
n −1
 dv  dv
 = −K  
 dy  dy dv
dy
▪ where  is the shear stress, K is the consistency index, is the shear rate or
velocity gradient, and n is the power-law exponent. The time-independent fluids are
either Newtonian or non-Newtonian fluids.
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Classification of fluids

 Newtonian fluids
Newtonian fluids are time-independent viscous fluids that have
viscosity that is independent of shear rate (i.e. shear stress is
proportional to shear rate and n = 1). These fluids follow the Newton’s
law of viscosity:

dv
 = −
dy
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Classification of fluids

 Non-Newtonian fluids
 Non-Newtonian fluids are time-independent viscous fluids for which
the (apparent) viscosity varies with shear rate. Non -Newtonian fluids
are further classified as Bingham plastic, dilatant, or pseudoplastic.
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Classification of fluids

 Bingham plastic
 These are non-newtonian fluids for which a finite stress (called the
yield stress) is required before continuous deformation occurs .

dv
 =  − 
▪ where  
dy
is the yield stress, which when attained the fluid will behave as Newtonian
 clay suspensions, drilling mud, toothpaste, mayonnaise, chocolate,
and mustard.
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Classification of fluids

 Pseudoplastic
 These are shear-rate thinning fluids (n < 1) with apparent viscosity
that decreases with shear-rate.
 paint
The paint should flow readily off the brush when it is being applied to a surface but
not drip excessively
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Classification of fluids

 Dilatant
 These are shear-rate thickening fluids (n > 1) with apparent viscosity
that increases with shear-rate.
 Corn starch suspended in water
when stirred slowly it looks milky, when stirred vigorously it feels
like a very viscous liquid.
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Classification of fluids
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Classification of fluids

 Time-dependent fluids
 For time-dependent fluids, the shear stress depends on the past
history of the rate of deformation (i.e. shear stress changes with
duration of shear).
.
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Classification of fluids

 Time-dependent fluids
 Rheopectic
 These are time-dependent fluids having viscosity that increases with
time at a constant shear-rate (i.e. shear stress increases with time at
constant shear rate).
 printer ink, gypsum paste
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Classification of fluids

 Time-dependent fluids
 Thixotropic
 These are time-dependent fluids which exhibit viscosity that
decreases with time at a constant shear-rate (i.e. shear stress
decreases with time at constant shear rate).
Yogurt, peanut butter, xanthan gum solutions
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Classification of fluids

 Viscoelastic fluids
 These are fluids which exhibit elastic recovery from deformations
during flow.