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Determination of Viscosity from Terminal Velocity of a Falling Sphere

Research · May 2015
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.2102.4161

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G. F. Jones
February, 2002

Determination of Viscosity from Terminal Velocity of a

Falling Sphere

Objective
This experiment is concerned with determining the coefficient of viscosity of an unknown
fluid by using the terminal velocity of a falling sphere. Multiple tests will be performed and
statistical methods will be used to reduce the data. An uncertainty analysis will be
performed to estimate the level of certainty in the measured coefficient of viscosity. In this
experiment you will need to refer to material property data. Therefore, it is very important
to bring your fluid mechanics textbook with you when you do this experiment. The instructor
will bring to the lab a reference text having densities of various metals.

Theory
The coefficient of viscosity relates the shear stress in a flowing fluid to the velocity
distribution in the fluid. From your fluid mechanics course for a developed flow in the x
direction in a channel, you may recall that the shear stress, τyx, is equal to the product of the
coefficient of viscosity, µ, and the velocity gradient, du/dy, (Fox and McDonald, 1999)

. (1)
In SI, the shear stress is in units of N/m 2, the velocity gradient in units of 1/s, and the units
of µ are N·s/m2 or kg/s·m.
From an engineering design viewpoint, the coefficient of viscosity is important because
shear stress is directly proportional to pressure drop per length in the direction of fluid flow
(to show this, just perform a simple force balance on a slug of fluid flowing in a channel).
Therefore, the viscosity of the fluid determines the pressure drop in a pipe and, thus, the
cost to pump the fluid.
The viscosity coefficient is normally found by experiment. Several viscometer designs
are in common use. Among these are one that makes use of a measured pressure drop for
fluid flow through a known length of capillary tube (a “capillary-tube” viscometer), and one
that uses a fluid sheared in the annular space between two round drums, one that is fixed in
space and one that rotates.
This experiment uses the terminal velocity of a falling sphere to determine the viscosity
coefficient. It is well known that for fluid flow over spherical objects in the low Reynolds
number range (a flow referred to as “Stokes” flow), the drag force on the sphere may be
written as
Fd = 3πµV D, (2)
where V is the speed of the flow past the sphere, and D is the diameter of the sphere.
Equation (2) is valid for a Reynolds number, Re ≤ 0.1, where
Re = ρfV D/µ, (3)
 2

F +F
d b
Fluid
(ρ ,µ)
f

Falling
Sphere
x, V(x) (ρ ,D)
s
W

Figure 1: The falling sphere of diameter D and density ρs. The forces acting on the sphere are
the weight, W, buoyancy, Fb, and drag, Fd.

and ρf is the density of the fluid.

Consider a sphere released in a quiescent fluid with a zero initial velocity. The sphere
will increase in speed with distance traveled due to its weight, W. As the speed increases,
the drag force on the sphere increases in direct proportion, until a time and location are
reached where the weight of the sphere is exactly balanced by the drag force. At this point
and beyond there is no net force on the sphere so there is no further acceleration. The speed
the sphere reaches at this condition is referred to as “terminal” and the speed or velocity
designated with a subscript t. A force balance on the sphere (Fig. 1) gives
X
Fx = W − ρfgV − Fd = 0, (4
)
or
(ρs − ρf)gV − 3πµVtD = 0. (5
)
3
The subscript s above refers to the sphere, and the term V = πD /6 is the volume of the
sphere.
In eqn. (4) the term ρfgV is the buoyancy force (=Fb) of the fluid acting on the sphere. An
upward-directed buoyancy force is exerted on all bodies that displace a volume of a fluid.
For example, it is the buoyancy force that causes a ship to float.
Equation (5) forms the basis for the measurement of the viscosity coefficient. Simply
rearrange it to obtain

. (6)
The x location where the terminal velocity is reached to within 0.1% (the terminal
velocity is only approached but never reached in a mathematical sense) can be calculated by
solving Newton’s second law of motion

. (7)
Separate this equation and integrate to get

(8)
 3
While it is possible to evaluate this integral in exact form, we will instead resort to using
Mathcad as discussed in the section below.

The Experiment
The following hardware will be available to you in the lab:
• an assortment of fluids of different densities and unknown viscosities each in a tall
graduated cylinder,

• many metal and plastic spheres of different diameters and materials,

• scales for measuring length and mass,

• a timer,

• small tools.
Using the above theory, design and carry out an experiment to measure the viscosity of
a single, unknown fluid of your choice. There is considerable freedom in this experiment. A
few pointers are offered here. Be aware that you will need to first measure the density of
the fluid that you choose (the mass of each empty cylinder will be provided if you require it)
and that you will need to measure the terminal velocity of the sphere. Also, keep in mind
that the sphere must reach the terminal velocity before you can measure the speed. If the
terminal velocity is too slow, you may have to wait too long for your results. If too fast, the
accuracy of your measurement may suffer and the above theory will fail if the constraint on
Re is not satisfied. The size of the sphere you choose may also be affected by your ability to
see it through a translucent liquid if one is chosen. Use the Mathcad sheet provided to you
on the computer for your calculations. On this sheet, all of the above equations are already
programmed for your use. As a start, the viscosity is believed to range from from 0.02
N·s/m2 to 0.5 N·s/m2 for the fluids provided. Use this range, your judgement of the viscosity
of the fluid that you choose, and the above theory to estimate an appropriate sphere
material and diameter.
Although a trial-and-error approach to determining the viscosity may work in principle,
as an engineer you are expected to obtain your result in as short a period of time possible.
Therefore, you want to choose an appropriate sphere only after several careful calculations
are made.
Once you have chosen a sphere that you believe will work to your satisfaction, perform
the experiment five times. From the viscosity measurements calculate the mean value and
standard deviation.

Uncertainty Analysis
Every measurement has associated with it an uncertainty and an engineer often needs to
know how certain a reported value is if they are to use it with confidence. For example, a
certain pressure reading may be 100 kN/m 2±2 kN/m2, where the second number is the
uncertainty at which the instrument that performed the measurement operated.
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Suppose a calculation of a result, say R, is known to depend on several independent
variables y1,y2,...,yn such that

R = R(y1,y2,...,yn). (9)

Let u1,u2,...,un be the uncertainty associated with the independent variables. The overall
uncertainty associated with all of the uncertainties of the independent variables may be
written as (Holman, 1989)

. (10)
Use eqn. (10) to estimate the overall uncertainty in the viscosity measurement obtained
from this experiment. Assume that the densities are known exactly so that the uncertainty
in viscosity comes from only the sphere diameter and terminal velocity. The uncertainty in
terminal velocity may be taken as its standard deviation. The deviations in the diameters of
the spheres will be supplied by the manufacturer.

References
Fox, R. W. and McDonald, A. T. 1999, Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, John Wiley.
Holman, J. P., 1989, Experimental Methods for Engineers, McGraw Hill.