Viscosity Conceptand Applications 07022022

Course: Professional Graduate Programme In Metallurgy
Subject: Fluid Dynamics - II

Subject Code: GPME2002
Module Code: GPME200206
Category: Viscosity Concept & Applications
Topic: Fundamentals of Viscosity & its applications
Faculty Name: Harsh Vyas
Fluid Dynamics - II (Fundamentals of Viscosity & its applications)
 Learning Outcome:
From this session students are going to learn about:
 Fundamentals of Viscosity & its applications
 Fundamentals of Viscosity
The physical quantity ‘viscosity’ gives information on how thick a fluid is and
how easily it flows. In scientific terms, viscosity is the measure of a fluid’s
internal flow resistance. It is the resistance which a fluid shows when being
deformed.
Most fluids offer some resistance to motion, and we call this resistance
“viscosity.” Viscosity arises when there is relative motion between layers of the
fluid. More precisely, it measures resistance to flow arising due to the internal
friction between the fluid layers as they slip past one another when fluid flows.
Viscosity can also be thought of as a measure of a fluid’s thickness or its
resistance to objects passing through it.
Viscosity is the tendency of a Fluid to resist any change in its shape or Motion. It
is a measure of the internal forces of a Fluid. The internal forces or Friction of
Fluid comes into play when one layer of Fluid is subjected to move over another
layer. More is the Friction; more is the amount of force required to move the
layers; this is called shear. Shearing occurs when a Fluid moves or is distributed,
like pouring, spraying, spreading, mixing, etc. This is the reason that Fluids with
high Viscosity need more force to move as compared to those of low Viscosity.
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The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given

rate. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness": for
example, syrup has a higher viscosity than water.
Viscosity quantifies the internal frictional force between adjacent layers of fluid
that are in relative motion. For instance, when a viscous fluid is forced through a
tube, it flows more quickly near the tube's axis than near its walls. Experiments
show that some stress (such as a pressure difference between the two ends of the
tube) is needed to sustain the flow. This is because a force is required to overcome
the friction between the layers of the fluid which are in relative motion. For a tube
with a constant rate of flow, the strength of the compensating force is proportional
to the fluid's viscosity.
In general, viscosity depends on a fluid's state, such as its temperature, pressure,
and rate of deformation. However, the dependence on some of these properties is
negligible in certain cases. For example, the viscosity of a Newtonian fluid does
not vary significantly with the rate of deformation. Zero viscosity (no resistance
to shear stress) is observed only at very low temperatures in superfluids;
otherwise, the second law of thermodynamics requires all fluids to have positive
viscosity. A fluid that has zero viscosity is called ideal fluid.
A fluid with large viscosity resists motion because its strong intermolecular forces
give it a lot of internal friction, resisting the movement of layers past one another.
On the contrary, a fluid with low viscosity flows easily because its molecular
makeup results in very little friction when it is in motion. Gases also exhibit
viscosity, but it is harder to notice in ordinary circumstances.
Viscosity is a measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow
The SI unit of viscosity is poiseiulle (PI). Its other units are newton-second per
square metre (N s m-2) or pascal-second (Pa s.) The dimensional formula of
viscosity is [ML-1T-1].
• The viscosity of liquids decreases rapidly with an increase in temperature,
and the viscosity of gases increases with an increase in temperature. Thus,
upon heating, liquids flow more easily, whereas gases flow more slowly.
Also, viscosity does not change as the amount of matter changes, therefore
it is an intensive property.

Viscosity Formula
Viscosity is measured in terms of a ratio of shearing stress to the velocity gradient
in a fluid. If a sphere is dropped into a fluid, the viscosity can be determined using
the following formula:
Where ∆ρ is the density difference between fluid and sphere tested, a is the radius
of the sphere, g is the acceleration due to gravity and v is the velocity of the
sphere.
 Viscosity Types
Viscosity is the measure of fluid’s friction to its flow. There are two ways to
measure the fluid’s viscosity as follows:
o Dynamic Viscosity (Absolute Viscosity)
o Kinematic Viscosity
Many are confused between the two viscosity measures and consider them to be
one and the same. In reality, they have significant differences between them. For
a few applications, kinematic viscosity is more useful than absolute or dynamic
viscosity.
Dynamic (absolute) viscosity - coefficient of absolute viscosity - is a measure of
internal resistance. Dynamic (absolute) viscosity is the tangential force per unit
area required to move one horizontal plane with respect to an other plane - at an
unit velocity - when maintaining an unit distance apart in the fluid.
Dynamic viscosity may also be expressed in the metric CGS (centimeter-gram-
second) system as g/(cm s), dyne s/cm2 or poise (p).
One way is to measure fluid’s resistance to flow when an external force is applied.
This is known as Dynamic Viscosity. And the other way is to measure the
resistive flow of a fluid under the weight of gravity. We call this measure of fluid
viscosity as kinematic viscosity.

Kinematic viscosity is the ratio of - absolute (or dynamic) viscosity to density -

a quantity in which no force is involved. Kinematic viscosity can be obtained by
dividing the absolute viscosity of a fluid with the fluid mass density like
ν=μ/ρ
where
ν = kinematic viscosity (m2/s)
μ = absolute or dynamic viscosity (N s/m2)
ρ = density (kg/m3)
In the SI-system the theoretical unit of kinematic viscosity is m2/s - or the

commonly used Stoke (St). Stoke comes from the CGS (Centimetre Gram
Second) unit system.
Where,
1 St (Stokes) = 10-4 m2/s = 1 cm2/s
 Law of Viscosity
Let us consider a Liquid in which the Fluid particles move in a specific direction
in straight parallel lines. Sir Isaac Newton has postulated some assumptions
regarding the Fluid Viscosity.
In Fluids, the flow velocity varies linearly at different points, being 0 at the
bottom, and a velocity ‘u’ at the top. The force F acting on the Fluid particles is
directly proportional to the Fluid velocity ‘u’ and the area ‘A’ of the layer and is
inversely proportional to the distance ‘y’ between them.
According to Newton, the Viscosity formula is,
Where μ is the Viscosity factor for a Fluid.

This is a derivative property of Fluid velocity in a direction perpendicular to the

plates.
What if the Fluid velocity doesn't vary linearly with y? In this case, the
generalized equation is given as
Where τ=F/A i.e. force per unit area, and ∂u/∂y is the local shear velocity. This
equation denotes Newton's law of Viscosity. For planar symmetry surfaces, the
shearing velocity is given by: μ, which is a particular case of Fluid Viscosity.
 Importance of Viscosity
• Viscosity is an essential feature of Liquids that are used for lubrication,
like lubricating oils and grease. Viscosity is the resistance produced in a
Liquid to its flow. Fast-moving Liquids like water have low Viscosity and
slow-moving Liquids like honey have high Viscosity.
• If the Viscosity of a Fluid is too high at low temperatures, it cannot be
pumped. If Viscosity is too low at high temperatures, it can't be used for
Lubrication.
• A moderately viscous Fluid is required for lubrication purposes. Oil is not
always the right option for lubrication. The quality of lubricant matters and
it should have a proper Viscosity and be a multi-grade like API and SN,
supplied by some reputed firm. This helps in better lubrication preventing
any wear and tear.
 Principle of Viscosity
The principle of Viscosity is stated here:
“When a layer of Liquid is subjected to move upon a surface or another layer
of the same Liquid, the Fluid particles tend to oppose such movement; this
resisting force developed by a Liquid is called Viscosity.”

 Viscosity Measurement
The elementary way of measuring viscosity is to allow a sphere, such as a metal
ball, to drop through a fluid and time the fall of the metal ball. The slower the
sphere falls, the greater the viscosity. But, a more accurate measure of viscosity
is given by the viscometer.
U-Tube Viscometer
U-tube viscometers are also known as glass capillary viscometers or Ostwald
viscometers.
U-Tube Viscometer
A viscometer consists of two reservoir bulbs and a capillary tube. In one arm of
the U is the capillary, a vertical section of a precise narrow bore. Above which is
a bulb, with it is another bulb lower down on the other arm as shown in the below
image.

In use, the upper bulb draws the liquid by suction, then the liquid is made to flow
down through the capillary into the lower bulb. Two marks (one above and one
below the upper bulb) indicate a known volume. The time taken for the liquid to
pass between these marks is proportional to the kinematic viscosity.
Most commercial units are provided with a conversion factor. The time taken by
the test liquid to flow between two points is measured. By multiplying the time
measured by the factor of the viscometer, the kinematic viscosity is obtained.
 Applications of Viscosity
Viscosity is the intrinsic property of a fluid and is analogous to the frictional

force. Some of the significant applications of viscosity are:
 High viscous fluids are used for painting purposes.
 Pen's ink is made up of fluids that have high viscosity.
 While preparing food items like dosa's and chapatis, viscosity is

considered.
 Medicines like cough syrups contain high viscous fluids to apply a coat
over the throat.
 Gum is made up of highly viscous fluids to make objects stick firmly.
 The viscosity of household items like paints and varnishes are regulated in
such a way, to make it easy to apply paint over the brush.

 Examples of Viscosity
Some of the viscosity examples are:
Viscosity shifts diversely under various temperature and weight conditions. The
standard condition is spoken to by ASTM, as centipoise (CPs). spread, and glass.
Some liquids have high viscosity and act like solids. For example, pitch, nut.
Water has a viscosity of 1.002 cPs at a standard temperature of 20°C.
The viscosity of molasses is more than that of water.
When a portion of issue moves because of low viscosity, it conveys with it the
close by parts in light of intermolecular power, and this diminishes the movement
of the moving part.
 References:
1. George Batchelor - An Introduction to Fluid Dynamics,
2. M. D. Raisinghania - Fluid Dynamics: With Complete Hydrodynamics and
Boundary Layer Theory.
3. Frank Chorlton - Textbook of Fluid Dynamics.


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Course: Professional Graduate Programme In Metallurgy

Subject: Fluid Dynamics - II

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

Kinematic viscosity is the ratio of - absolute (or dynamic) viscosity to density -

In the SI-system the theoretical unit of kinematic viscosity is m2/s - or the

Where μ is the Viscosity factor for a Fluid.

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

This is a derivative property of Fluid velocity in a direction perpendicular to the

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

Viscosity is the intrinsic property of a fluid and is analogous to the frictional

 High viscous fluids are used for painting purposes.

 Pen's ink is made up of fluids that have high viscosity.

 While preparing food items like dosa's and chapatis, viscosity is

 Gum is made up of highly viscous fluids to make objects stick firmly.

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

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