Viscosity units cst to cp free#

This provides consistent engine performance within the normal working conditions. The best oils with the highest VI will remain stable and not vary much in viscosity over the temperature range. Many lubricant applications require the lubricant to perform across a wide range of conditions, for example, automotive lubricants are required to reduce friction between engine components when the engine is started from cold (relative to the engine's operating temperatures) up to 200 ☌ (392 ☏) when it is running. If the lubricant is too viscous, it will require a large amount of energy to move (as in honey) if it is too thin, the surfaces will come in contact and friction will increase. Generally, the least viscous lubricant which still forces the two moving surfaces apart to achieve ' fluid bearing' conditions is desired. The viscosity of a lubricant is closely related to its ability to reduce friction in solid body contacts. The VI was originally measured on a scale from 0 to 100 however, advancements in lubrication science have led to the development of oils with much higher VIs. The higher the VI, the more stable the viscosity remains over some temperature range. The lower the VI, the more the viscosity is affected by changes in temperature. It is mostly used to characterize the viscosity-temperature behavior of lubricating oils.

The viscosity index ( VI) is an arbitrary, unit-less measure of a fluid's change in viscosity relative to temperature change. JSTOR ( May 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Consequently, internal friction and viscosity increase.This article needs additional citations for verification.

Viscosity units cst to cp free#

In most liquids, pressure reduces the free volume in the internal structure, and thus limits the movability of molecules. For example, lubricants in cogwheels or gears can be submitted to pressures of 1 GPa and higher.Įquation 4. Highly viscous mineral oils react with a viscosity increase of times 20000 under identical circumstances.įor synthetic oil this pressure change can even result in a viscosity increase by a factor of up to 8 million. This applies to most low-molecular liquids. In case the pressure goes up from 0.1 MPa to 200 MPa, the viscosity can rise to 3 to 7 times the original value. For comparison: This same change in viscosity is usually provoked by a minor temperature change of 1 K (1 ☌). Most liquids react to a significantly altered pressure (from 0.1 MPa to 30 MPa) with a viscosity change of about 10 %. However, fluids are not dramatically affected if the applied pressure is low or medium: liquids are almost non-compressible in this pressure range. Normally, an increase in pressure causes a fluid’s viscosity to increase, too. Three factors determine a substance’s flow behavior. Still, shear rate is not the only influencer. To learn more consult “ The Rheology Handbook”. The flow behavior of non-Newtonian liquids can be far more complex than these basic examples. yogurt), while for others the viscosity increases with increasing shear rate (curve 3 | e.g. If its viscosity changes with the shear rate, a liquid is non-Newtonian and – for exact definition – one has to specify the apparent viscosity.ĭifferent shear-dependent fluids behave differently: For some, their viscosity decreases when the shear rate increases (curve 2 | e.g. Typical Newtonian liquids are water or salad oil. For a Newtonian liquid, this function is a straight line (curve 1) see figure 6. Such fluids are named ‘Newtonian liquids’ after Sir Isaac Newton.Ī viscosity function shows the viscosity over the shear rate. the shear rate – acting upon the fluid, it is ideally viscous. If a fluid’s internal flow resistance is independent of the external force – i.e. High-viscosity fluids resist deformation. Fluids which flow easily show a low resistance to deformation. viscous fluids that contain an elastic portion. The specific field of viscometry covers ideally viscous fluids, and – considering certain restrictions – also viscoelastic liquids, i.e. sweet jelly) or as a viscoelastic liquid (like e.g. According to a material’s properties, we either classify it as a viscoelastic solid (like e.g. That is, substances which are neither completely elastic, nor entirely viscous. In everyday life, we mostly come across viscoelastic materials. Scientists specify solid materials as being elastic and liquids as being viscous.

Imagine all materials as classified on a virtual scale from solid to liquid. Rheology deals with the flow behavior and deformation of materials. In order to determine a fluid’s viscosity, you have to enter the field of viscometry, a subject area of a wider science called rheology.