Lab 1

Do it Yourself Experiment
Phillip Russell
December 16, 2009
MEMT 313-003
Partner(s): Daniel McAfee

Table of Contents
Objective.......................................................................................................3
Background and Theory ................................................................................4
Procedure .....................................................................................................6
Results ..........................................................................................................7
Discussion and Conclusions...........................................................................8
Appendices ...................................................................................................9

Objective
The purpose of this experiment was to explore the fluid property of surface tension by
comparing a calculated value for two fluids: SAE 30W oil and water.

Background and Theory

Surface tension describes the phenomenon observed that most liquids develop a sort of skin
on the surface that meets the air. The skin is formed from a result of unbalanced forces
acting on the molecules that are on that very surface. The molecules found within the liquid
experience an equal balance of forces from the other molecules surrounding them. But, as is
the case with so-called wetting fluids, the molecules on the surface receive more force from
the molecules like it underneath as opposed to the air molecules on the other side. This
explains how capillary action works for these wetting fluids, and why the liquid rises in a
capillary tube. The opposite is true for the so-called non-wetting fluids. Below is a drawing of
what happens to both wetting fluids and non-wetting fluids.

Figure 1 Action of wetting fluids and non-wetting fluids

when reacting to a capillary tube.

Surface tension is denoted by the Greek letter sigma (), and has units of . The derived
equation for surface tension (Eq. 1) is given as:
=

ghr
2 cos

Surface tension is dependent upon density (); the denser the fluid is, the more surface tension

there will be. This holds true because density is a property that is defined by . More
molecules packed into the same volume will yield higher forces exerted on those outer surface
molecules. Also, decreasing the volume with the same amount of molecules will increase the
unbalanced forces. Gravity (g) affects surface tension because it is an attractive force that acts
downward. If gravity is increased, it increases the unbalanced forces that the outer molecules
experience. The height (h) that the liquid is elevated in the tube is related to surface tension
because it directly shows how much the unbalanced forces are pushing on the surface
4

molecules. If the unbalanced forces are increased, the result will be seen in the liquid rising
higher in the tube. The radius of the capillary tube (r) and the height (h) are inversely
proportional. If the tube is widened, the height of the liquid will decrease. Taking the cosine of
the angle formed between the tangent line of the liquid on the tubes wall and the tube wall
itself is also important. If the angle is increased, the liquid appears flatter in the tube,
increasing the surface tension. This relationship occurs due to the molecules of the liquid being
more attracted to each other, which is an observance of increased surface tension.

If the units of surface tension are modified from to units of

, we can see that

surface tension also plays a role in how much work can be done by the liquid. Increased surface
tension will lead to an increased area over a constant area (area of the capillary tubes cross
section). If the capillary tubes cross-sectional area is decreased, while the surface tension is
the same for the liquid, there will be an increase in energy produced by the liquid.

Procedure
Before beginning the experiment, we gathered the necessary materials. The two liquids that
we studied were water and SAE 30W oil. We used regular water from the tap and Shell SAE
30W motor oil purchased from Auto-Zone. For a capillary tube, we used an ordinary drinking
straw cut in half so that each liquid had its own tube. To make measurements, we used a
permanent marker to mark the liquid levels and a CEN-TECH 6 dial caliper.
To begin the experiment, we measured the diameter of the drinking straw to obtain its radius.
We then placed a mark about an inch from the bottom of the straw to show how far it would
be inserted into the liquid. Next, we poured the two liquids into two separate containers and
allowed them to settle. Then, we inserted the two drinking straws into each liquid separately
up to the initial mark and recorded a mark at the height that the liquid raised. We also
estimated the angle that the liquid formed with the wall of the tube as best as possible, using
our judgment. The differences in the two marks on the drinking straws were recorded. With
the gathered data, the surface tension of each liquid was then calculated using Eq. 1.
Lastly, we looked up accepted values for the actual surface tension of the two liquids. These
were compared to our experimental calculations and we calculated the percent error to show
how far off our experiment was.

Results
Fluid

Density ()
(lbm/in.^3)

Height (h)
(in.)

Angle ()
(radians)

Surface Tension ()
(lbm/s^2)

SAE 30W Oil

0.032

0.115

0.611

0.086732471

Water

0.036

0.067

0.698

0.060776094

Gravity (g)=

386.089 in./s^2

Radius ( r )=

0.1 in.

Figure 2 Recorded/looked up values and

resulting calculation of surface tension

Calculated Surface
Tension (lbm/s^2)

Accepted Value of
Surface Tension
(lbm/s^2)

0.086732471
0.060776094

0.079
0.16

Error
(%)
9.79%
62.01%

Figure 3 Error in calculation of surface tensions

Discussion and Conclusions

The results from our experiment for the surface tension of oil proved to be fairly consistent
with the accepted values of our text. However, our results obtained for the surface tension of
water were very far off from the accepted values. This can be attributed to the fact that we
lacked the necessary materials to properly measure the pieces we needed. Also, since the
water was clear, it was harder to judge precisely where the levels were because the air behind
it and the drinking straw were clear also. The oil had a yellow-brown tint to it, making it easy to
differentiate from the straw and the air.
To better our results for this experiment, we could try a number of things to obtain more
accurate readings. Adding a dye to the water would help with marking off the level that it
raised in the tube, so long as the dye was consistent in density with water. Also, an actual
device to measure the angle rather than estimating it would provide more accuracy. If we had
used a proper capillary tube that had pre-measured markings on it, we would not have had to
worry about the drinking straw being imperfect. The straws walls were very thin and weak, so
the cross section was not a perfect circle.
Based on our calculations, the oil seemed to provide a greater surface tension. However, after
calculating the error, we cannot say that is true. Based on the accepted values, water has a
higher surface tension, and would provide a greater fluid mass movement. If we were going on
our experiment alone, we would choose oil in a capillary driven system. But since we know that
the error in the waters calculation is so high, we cannot say that with high certainty.

Appendices
A: Sample Calculations from Mathcad:

B: References
For densities: http://www.engineersedge.com/fluid_flow/fluid_data.htm
For Figure 1:

http://www.pharmainfo.net/files/images/stories/article_images/Capillary_action_a%20wetting
_non_wetting_liquid%20.jpg
For a definition of surface tension:

http://ezproxy.prescott.latech.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dir
ect=true&db=a9h&AN=39034459&site=ehost-live&scope=site
For surface tension of water:
http://www.xydatasource.com/xy-showdatasetpage.php?datasetcode=4444&dsid=107&searchtext=wat
er
For surface tension of oil:
Jasper, J.J., J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, 1, 841, 1972.