Flow curve —> Rheology

Viscosity is equal to the slope of the flow curve, Tf = dr/dj. The quantity r/y is the viscosity Tj for a Newtonian Hquid and the apparent viscosity Tj for a non-Newtonian Hquid. The kinematic viscosity is the viscosity coefficient divided by the density, ly = tj/p. The fluidity is the reciprocal of the viscosity, (j) = 1/rj. The common units for viscosity, dyne seconds per square centimeter ((dyn-s)/cm ) or grams per centimeter second ((g/(cm-s)), called poise, which is usually expressed as centipoise (cP), have been replaced by the SI units of pascal seconds, ie, Pa-s and mPa-s, where 1 mPa-s = 1 cP. In the same manner the shear stress units of dynes per square centimeter, dyn/cmhave been replaced by Pascals, where 10 dyn/cm = 1 Pa, and newtons per square meter, where 1 N/m = 1 Pa. Shear rate is AH/AX, or length /time/length, so that values are given as per second (s ) in both systems. The SI units for kinematic viscosity are square centimeters per second, cm /s, ie, Stokes (St), and square millimeters per second, mm /s, ie, centistokes (cSt). Information is available for the official Society of Rheology nomenclature and units for a wide range of rheological parameters (11). 

The flow of plastics is compared to that of water in Fig. 8-5 to show their different behaviors. The volume of a so-called Newtonian fluid, such as water, when pushed through an opening is directly proportional to the pressure applied (the straight dotted line), the flow rate of a non-Newtonian fluid such as plastics when pushed through an opening increases more rapidly than the applied pressure (the solid curved line). Different plastics generally have their own flow and rheological rates so that their non-Newtonian curves are different. 

Fluids whose behaviour can be approximated by the power-law or Bingham-plastic equation are essentially special cases, and frequently the rheology may be very much more complex so that it may not be possible to fit simple algebraic equations to the flow curves. It is therefore desirable to adopt a more general approach for time-independent fluids in fully-developed flow which is now introduced. For a more detailed treatment and for examples of its application, reference should be made to more specialist sources/14-17) If the shear stress is a function of the shear rate, it is possible to invert the relation to give the shear rate, y = —dux/ds, as a function of the shear stress, where the negative sign is included here because velocity decreases from the pipe centre outwards. 

The measurements are carried out at preselected shear rates. The resulting curves are plotted in form of flow-curves t (D) or viscosity-curves ti (D) and give information about the viscosity of a substance at certain shear rates and their rheological character dividing the substances in Newtonian and Non-Newtonian fluids. 

Since the rheology of many systems depends largely on the temperature, accurate and reproducible measurements require very careful temperature control. A 1°C temperature drop, for instance, increases the apparent viscosity / of an offset printing ink by approximately 15%. To demonstrate the correlation between thixotropy and temperature, Figs. 56 and 57 show the flow curves at different temperatures for two offset printing inks [134], Both materials clearly lose thixotropy-indicated by the area under the thixotropic loop-as the temperature increases. This effect is much more pronounced in the first case (Fig. 56), while the second ink exhibits a very slow decrease thixotropic behavior (Fig. 57). 

Most characterisation of non-linear responses of materials with De < 1 have concerned the application of a shear rate and the shear stress has been monitored. The ratio at any particular rate has defined the apparent viscosity. When these values are plotted against one another we produce flow curves. The reason for the popularity of this approach is partly historic and is related to the type of characterisation tool that was available when rheology was developing as a subject. As a consequence there are many expressions relating shear stress, viscosity and shear rate. There is also a plethora of interpretations for meaning behind the parameters in the modelling equations. There are a number that are commonly used as phenomenological descriptions of the flow behaviour. 

Analysis of flow curves of these polymers has shown that for a nematic polymer XII in a LC state steady flow is observed in a broad temperature interval up to the glass transition temperature. A smectic polymer XI flows only in a very narrow temperature interval (118-121 °C) close to the Tcl. The difference in rheological behaviour of these polymers is most nearly disclosed when considering temperature dependences of their melt viscosities at various shear rates (Fig. 20). 

Viscosity Analysis. Rheological analyses of the unground spray dried resins in dioctyl phthalate (DOP) plastisols gave the viscosity flow curves in Figures V-VIII. Characteristic data are presented in Tables II and III. 

Figure 6.27 compares the experimental pressure profiles using plasticized thermoplastic resin (unfortunately, the rheological flow curve was not provided) with... 

If the material to be processed is subject to shear thinning, the linear relationships for the pressure and energy behavior illustrated above no longer apply. With shear thinning, there is a non-linear relationship between the shear rate and shear stress that is reflected in the flow curve (see Chapter 3). As a rule, the zero viscosity and one or two rheological time constants are enough to describe the flow curve with sufficient accuracy. The Carreau equation is often used it contains a dimensionless flow exponent in addition to the zero viscosity and a rheological time constant. 

In general, shear stress at one location (e.g., the bob surface in a concentric cylinder viscometer) is calculated from the dimensions of the sample gap and the measured or applied torque. Shear rate is calculated at the same location from sample gap dimensions and rotational speed. By making experimental measurements over a range of speeds or torques, the flow curve (shear stress versus shear rate) of the sample can be established. Suitable mathematical treatment of the flow curve data yields the sample s constitutive equation and rheological properties. 

The maximum strain rate (e < Is1) for either extensional rheometer is often very slow compared with those of fabrication. Fortunately, time-temperature superposition approaches work well for SAN copolymers, and permit the elevation of the reduced strain rates kaj to those comparable to fabrication. Typical extensional rheology data for a SAN copolymer (h>an = 0.264, Mw = 7 kg/mol,Mw/Mn = 2.8) are illustrated in Figure 13.5 after time-temperature superposition to a reference temperature of 170°C [63]. The tensile stress growth coefficient rj (k, t) was measured at discrete times t during the startup of uniaxial extensional flow. Data points are marked with individual symbols (o) and terminate at the tensile break point at longest time t. Isothermal data points are connected by solid curves. Data were collected at selected k between 0.0167 and 0.0840 s-1 and at temperatures between 130 and 180 °C. Also illustrated in Figure 13.5 (dashed line) is a shear flow curve from a dynamic experiment displayed in a special format (3 versus or1) as suggested by Trouton [64]. The superposition of the low-strain rate data from two types (shear and extensional flow) of rheometers is an important validation of the reliability of both data sets. 

A few rheometers are available for measurement of equi-biaxial and planar extensional properties polymer melts [62,65,66]. The additional experimental challenges associated with these more complicated flows often preclude their use. In practice, these melt rheological properties are often first estimated from decomposing a shear flow curve into a relaxation spectrum and predicting the properties with a constitutive model appropriate for the extensional flow [54-57]. Predictions may be improved at higher strains with damping factors estimated from either a simple shear or uniaxial extensional flow. The limiting tensile strain or stress at the melt break point are not well predicted by this simple approach. 

A more serious deficiency resides in reliance on MFI to characterize different polymers. No single rheological property can be expected to provide a complete prediction of the properties of a complex material like a thermoplastic polymer. Figure 11-27 shows log — log flow curves for polymers having the same melt index, at the intersection of the curves, but very differeni viscosities at higher shear stress where the materials are extruded or molded. This is the main reason why MFI is repeatedly condemned by purer practitioners of our profession. The parameter is locked into industrial practice, however, and is unlikely to be displaced. 

Let us discuss the results of studies [13, 16-21], obtained through studying isothermal flows of keroplasts. In compliance with the above-mentioned facts these results can be applied to the description of the rheologic behaviour of compositional polymer materials with various disperse inert fillers. At displacement speeds corresponding to the speeds realized under the conditions of processing thermoplastic compositions, the Newton flow area was obtained on the flow curves (FC) of sevilene-based keroplasts but not with other keroplasts (polyethylene and polystyrene-based). 

In this book, we review the most basic distinctions and similarities among the rheological (or flow) properties of various complex fluids. We focus especially on their linear viscoelastic behavior, as measured by the frequency-dependent storage and loss moduli G and G" (see Section 1.3.1.4), and on the flow curve— that is, the relationship between the "shear viscosity q and the shear rate y. The storage and loss moduli reveal the mechanical properties of the material at rest, while the flow curve shows how the material changes in response to continuous deformation. A measurement of G and G" is often the most useful way of mechanically characterizing a complex material, while the flow curve q(y ) shows how readily the material can be processed, or shaped into a useful product. The... 

Rheology is a powerful method for the characterization of HA properties. In particular, rotational rheometers are particularly suitable in studying the rheological properties of HA. In such rheometers, different geometries (cone/plate, plate/plate, and concentric cylinders) are applied to concentrated, semi-diluted, and diluted solutions. A typical rheometric test performed on a HA solution is the so-called "flow curve". In such a test, the dynamic viscosity (q) is measured as a function of the shear rate (7) at constant strain (shear rate or stress sweep). From the flow curve, the Newtonian dynamic viscosity (qo), first plateau, and the critical shear rate ( 7 c), onset of non-Newtonian flow, could be determined. 

The flow curves can be established for different concentrations and different molar masses of HA samples, and at different temperatures for a better insight into the molecular properties of polymers. Fig. (14) shows results of a series of rheological tests of HA polymers with different molar masses at different concentrations. Fig. (14, left panel) shows the flow curves for three different HA samples with the Mw values of 850 kDa, 600 kDa, and 400 kDa. Fig. (14, right panel) exhibits the flow curves for an HA sample at four different concentrations ranging from 0.11% to 2.16%. The flow curves are obtained by using an AR 2000 stress-controlled rheometer from TA Instruments (New Castle, DE, USA). A cone/plate geometry is used. The rotor was made of the acrylic material, 4 cm of diameter and 1° of cone angle. The measurements were performed at 20 °C. 

In time-independent liquid food products, the flow curve is linear but intersects the shear stress axis at a positive value of shear stress. This value is known as a yield stress. The significance of the yield stress is that it is the stress that must be exceeded before the material will flow. This type of flow can be characterized by the following rheological equation (for the Bingham-Schwedoff model) ... 

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