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Technical Data Sheet

Technical Tip
Internet Address:
www.emersoncuming.com Understanding Rheology
What is Rheology? Rheological Classifications
Rheology is the study of how a material deforms There are two types of fluids: Newtonian and Non-
during and after a force is applied. Rheology Newtonian.
directly affects product handling and flow
characteristics. Some common measurements Newtonian Fluids
used to describe rheology are viscosity, thixotropic These are truly viscous ideal liquids, which
index, dispense rate, and sag resistance. means as the shear rate changes the viscosity
remains constant (water, oils, solvents). Hence if
Why is Rheology Important? you double the strain rate you will double the
Controlling rheological properties is essential for stress required.
polymeric processing and application.
Non-Newtonian Fluids
Mixing - Rheology effects ease of mixing These fluids are affected by shear and are divided
whether by hand, with a premeasured into Power Law Fluids (Pseudoplastic or Dilatant)
package, or with a static mix tube. and Time Dependent Fluids (Rheopectic or
Dispensing - Rheology dictates how a Thixotropic). Most polymers are pseudoplastic
material is applied whether by spatula, spray, and thixotropic.
pump, syringe, cartridge, screen/stencil
printing, or pouring. It is influenced by how Pseudoplastic: As shear increases, viscosity
rapidly viscosity changes once mixed due to decreases. No matter how long a
the mixtures chemistry. pseudoplastic material is sheared at a given
Settling - Rheology affects the degree and shear rate, the viscosity will remain the same.
rate at which fillers settle. Also important is Many polymeric systems are pseudoplastic,
filler type, particle size, shape, and size perhaps the most classic example is
distribution. This is especially important for mayonnaise.
coatings and heavily filled encapsulants. Dilatant: These are the opposite of
Flow Control - Rheology affects the way a pseudoplastic that is, as shear increases the
material flows. High flow allows easy entry viscosity increases. Some highly filled
into intricate spaces versus a low flow which materials are dilatant.
prevents flow into critical areas. Flow control Rheopectic : Viscosity increases as a
is very important during initial application and function of time. Examples would be a mixed
during the curing process as well. epoxy increasing in viscosity as curing takes
place or a solvent based adhesive or coating
What Affects Rheology? where the viscosity increases as the solvent
evaporates.
Resin - resin type and molecular weight Thixotropic: Viscosity decreases over time
affects viscosity and surface wetting. when using a constant shear rate. As shear
Formulation - additives and fillers (type, rate decreases the material will gradually
shape, size, size distribution, and surface recover the original internal structure before
smoothness). shear, this can take seconds or days to fully
Temperature - with epoxies every 1C recover. Many times, when a material sits, it
change can cause up to a 5-10% change in will structure, this will give a false high
viscosity. viscosity reading if the material is not
Shear - the duration and amount of any force premixed.
applied to the material. Shear rate measures
a constant force. Note: These are text book definitions, in common
usage pseudoplastic and thixotropic may be used
interchangeably or in combination. They are also
not mutually exclusive.

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Understanding Rheology Technical Tip

Measuring Rheological Properties Thixotropic Index: A more accurate term would


actually be Pseudoplastic Index", however,
Viscosity: A measure of the internal resistance of thixotropic index or shear thinning index (STI)
friction when a material moves against itself. have become accepted terms. It gives an
Viscosity can be effected by the resin chemical indication as to how stiff and non-sag a material
structure, or the type and amount of filler added. will be. A common measurement runs viscosity
The lowest viscosity materials are unfilled, short at two different shear rates such as 1 RPM and 10
chained compounds. RPM. The value recorded at the higher RPM is
The internal resistance or viscosity is divided into the value at the lower RPM to obtain
typically measured using a rotating spindle the index. Generally materials have thixotropic
instrument such as a Brookfield viscometer. The index values between 1 (high flow) and 5 (low flow
amount of force needed to turn the spindle or non-sag).
(torque) at a selected speed (RPM) is measured.
A simple calculation converts this internal Dispense Rate: A test that usually specifies the
resistance to viscosity. There are different orifice size, dispensing pressure and dispensing
surface area spindles used to measure different temperature. Then one either measures the
viscosity ranges. amount of material dispensed in a particular time
The higher the torque value, the higher or the time to dispense a particular amount. Press
the viscosity. The force is measured as Pascal Flow (often for cartridges), orifice flow, and syringe
2
seconds, Poise or Newton seconds per meter . dispense rate are common dispense rate tests.
One milliPascal second (mPas.) equals one
-4
centipoise (cP) or 1x10 Newton seconds per Sag Resistance: A special rheological measure
2
meter . ASTM D 2393 is an example of a for highly thixotropic products. Sag resistance is a
common viscosity test procedure used in North measure of the resistance to flow with no shear on
America. the material. Generally a bead of material is
Rotational spindle viscometers and cone applied to a flat surface and the final flow or
and plate viscometers are used for most spread is measured and recorded. The surface
adhesives, encapsulants , inks, and some angle, temperature, and time are specified by the
coatings. The Zahn Cup, Ford Cup, DuPont particular test method.
Parlin, and ISO Cup are some of the methods
commonly used for coatings. Their general
principal is to measure the time it takes a given
volume to gravity feed through a given orifice. Common Viscosity Comparisons
Material Viscosity (cP)
Viscosity Profiles: A viscosity value is usually just Water 1
one reading taken at a specific shear and Kerosene 10
temperature. The most descriptive method is the SAE #10 Motor Oil 500
viscosity profile. Cone and plate viscometers can
Castor Oil 1,000
provide continuous, precise measurements over
Corn Syrup 5,000
a wide range of shear rates and temperatures.
Viscosity profiles can also be very useful for Honey 10,000
knowing how viscosity changes during cure. This Hot Fudge Syrup 25,000
can be essential in some applications with tightly Molasses 50,000
toleranced flow properties. Heavy Molasses 100,000

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