CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

NEW DELHI

Viscosity
Physics Investigatory Project
Submitted by

ARVIND KIRAN GOWDA

CLASS XII

#104, IVRI Road, Behind CRPF

Yelahanka, Bangalore 560 064
 BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Arvind kiran gowda student of Class XII has pursued her
work with diligence and prepared the dissertation entitled 'viscosity' under my
supervision. This is being submitted as partial fulfillment for the All India Senior
School Certificate Examination, 2017 - 2018.

In charge Teacher’s signature Internal Examiner`s signature

Principal`s signature External Examiner`s signature

 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I wish to express my deep gratitude and thanks to the principal, Mrs.Leena ,

Nagarjuna vidyaniketan school for her encouragement and all the facilities that
she provided for this project work.

I sincerely appreciate this magnanimity for taking me into her fold for which I shall
remain indebted to her. I extend my hearty thanks to Ashwini ma’am physics
teacher, who guided me to the successful completion of this project.
I take this opportunity to express my deep sense of gratitude for his invaluable
guidance, constant encouragement, constructive comments, and immense
motivation, which has sustained my efforts at all stages of this project work.

I would also like to thank our lab assistant Mr.Ramchandrapa for helping me
throughout the project

I can't forget to offer my sincere thanks to my classmates who helped me carry

out this project work successfully and for their valuable advice and support which
I received from them time to time.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SL NO. CONTENTS PAGE NO.

1. Introduction 5

2. APPARATUS, THEORY
6-7

3. procedure 8

4. observation 9

5. calculations 9-10

6. conclusion 11-12

7. bibliography 3

INTRODUCTION
Consider the following situation:
You are driving your diesel car on the road to shimla and it is very cold
outside. Suddenly your car breaks down and you open the bonnet to
see what is wrong. You notice that grime has accumulated in your
engine and the motor oil is to be replaced for the car to start. You only
have the following oils:

1) MAK Gold 40(for bikes)

2) Servo 4T (for bikes)
3) HP Milcy Turbo (for trucks)
4) Castrol Active (for trucks)

Of the given choices, you must use your knowledge of viscosity and
fluid mechanics to choose the oil most suited for your car.

AIM
To compare the viscosity of different engine oils at a given temperature
and thereby determine the most effective one for a diesel car.

APPARATUS
1. Meter high, 5cm broad cylindrical glass tube
 2. Meter scale alongside tube
3. High density carbon steel balls
4. Screw gauge
5. Stop watch
6. String
7. Assorted engine oils

THEORY

Why is engine oil used and how does it work?

Engine oil is used for lubricating various internal combustion engines.

The main function is to reduce wear and tear of moving parts. Thus, the
oil creates a layer that helps them move smoothly.

It also cleans, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing, and cools the engine
by carrying away the heat from the moving parts.

How is engine oil rated?

Engine oils can be made of single polymers or multiple polymers and

are rated accordingly. These differ in their viscosity and hence, differ in
their uses. The SAE gives a single grade to engine oils. However, multi
grade oils are more popular.

Multi grade oils are rated in the form xWy. ‘W’ is the winter rating
which shows that the oil has been tested for cold conditions. ‘x’ tells us
which single grade polymer the oil behaves like under cold conditions.
The lower the number, the less viscous the oil and better the
performance in low temperatures. ‘y’ tells the single grade polymer as
much as which the oil thins at high temperature.
The rating is primarily based on the viscosity of engine oils. Hence, it is
evident that viscosity is the single most important characteristic
deciding the efficiency of these oils.

What is viscosity?

It is the property of a fluid by virtue of which an internal resistance

comes into play when the fluid is in motion, it opposes the motion
between its different layers.

Coefficient of viscosity

When liquid flows over a flat surface, the liquid layer in contact with
the fixed surface does not move. Higher layers move forward with
increasing velocity. Thus, a backward dragging force F acts tangentially
to every layer. Thus, the force becomes:

F=ἠA(v/x)

Where,
v=Speed of the layer
A=Area of the layer
x=Seperation between the layer.

In this equation, the constant of proportionality (ἠ) is called the

coefficient of viscosity.

Stokes Law

It was shown by stokes law that if a small sphere of radius ‘r’ be moving
with a terminal velocity ‘v’ through an infinite homogenous and
incompressible fluid of coefficient of viscosity ‘ἠ’, it experiences a force
F given by:

F=6πἠrv
Terminal velocity is known as the maximum velocity acquired by the
body falling in a viscous medium.

PROCEDURE

1. 850ml of the oil was weighed and the density was found out.
2. The jar was cleaned and filled with the motor oil up to a 97 cm
marker.
3. Two loops of string were tied around the lower part of the glass
tube, 50 cm apart. One at 65cm and the other at 15cm.
4. A high density carbon steel shot was measured and weighed to
determine its density.
5. The carbon steel shot was dropped into the liquid.
6. The timer was started when the shot reached the first string and
was stopped when it reached the second.
7. Three reading were taken for each engine oil and their
observations were noted.

OBSERVATIONS

Radius of carbon steel ball = 1.905 (r)

Density of carbon steel ball = 549.45 kg/m3 (ρ)
Density of all oils = 0.84 g/m3 = 840 kg/m3 (ρ)
Ambient temperature = 25 (degree Celsius)
 Time taken in different oils
OIL NAME TIME(seconds) AVERAGE TIME
T1 T2 T3
MAK Gold 40 3.51 3.35 3.41 3.42
Servo 4T 3.01 3.06 3.03 3.03
HP Milcy Turbo 2.86 2.66 2.71 2.74
Castrol Active 3.1 3.01 3.08 3.06

Terminal Velocity in different oils

OIL NAME TERMINAL VELOCITY(m/s)
MAK Gold 40 0.146
Servo 4T 0.165
HP Milcy Turbo 0.182
Castrol Active 0.137

CALCULATIONS

6πἠrv = (4/3)πr3(ρ-σ)g
ἠ = [2 r2 (ρ-σ) g]/9v

MAK Gold 40
ἠ = [2*(1.9x10-3)2 * (549.45-0.84) * 9.8] / (9*0.146)
ἠ = 0.029541 kg/ms
Servo 4T
ἠ = [2*(1.9x10-3)2 * (549.45-0.84) * 9.8] / (9*0.165)
ἠ = 0.02614 kg/ms
HP Milcy Turbo
ἠ = [2*(1.9x10-3)2 * (549.45-0.84) * 9.8] / (9*0.182)
ἠ = 0.023698 kg/ms
Castrol Active
ἠ = [2*(1.9x10-3)2 * (549.45-0.84) * 9.8] / (9*0.137)
ἠ = 0.031482 kg/ms
These are a wide range of factors that must be taken into consideration
to choose the right engine oil. Engine oil ratings are based on the
viscosity of the oil, but these ratings aren’t exactly accurate. Each of
these oils falls under a SAE 40 rating, but they have different viscosities.

The rating of engine oils therefore is based on a factor known as

kinematic viscosity. Kinematic viscosity in turn is the ratio between
dynamic viscosity and the density of the liquid. These values are then
divided into ranges and then SAE ratings.
The kinematic viscosity however will not be constant at a given
temperature. The density of liquids decrease with increase in
temperature.
Therefore, we must also look at the coefficient of thermal expansion of
engine oils in order to calculate the new density and in turn, the
kinematic viscosity.

Volumetric Expansion
∆V=α∆T

V=Volume
α=Coefficient of thermal expansion
T = temperature
Change in density
ρ1=ρ0 / [1+ α(t1-t0)]

Kinematic Viscosity
v=µ/ρ

v=kinematic viscosity
µ=absolute/dynamic viscosity
ρ=density

Viscosity Index
VI=(L-U) / (L-H) * 10

U=Kinematic viscosity
L and H=kinematic viscosity of the reference oils

Volume
Flowrate = F = P1-P2/R
= π (Pressure difference)(radius)4 / 8(viscosity)(length)

Resistance to flow = R = 8ἠL/πr4

The coefficient of Thermal expansion of light diesel oil is 0.00085.

Assuming this value to be equal to the coefficient of thermal expansion

of our engine oils, we have postulated that we can calculate the
kinematic viscosity at any given temperature.

Assuming the exponential model for calculation of absolute viscosity to

hold true under our conditions

µ(T)=µ0exp(-bT)

In order to calculate the the kinematic viscosity ratio, we can use this
formula and then divide by the respective densities.
 Dynamic viscosity is the coefficient of viscosity of a liquid which we
have calculated.

OIL COEFFICIENT OF DENSITY KINEMATIC KINEMATIC

NAME VISCOSITY VISCOSITY VISCOSITY
(m2/s) (cSt)
MAK Gold 0.029541 820 0.000359 359
40

Servo 4T 0.02614 840 0.000311 311

HP Milcy 0.023698 820 0.000289 289
Turbo
Castrol 0.031482 840 0.000374 374
Active

Calculating the kinematic viscosity at 1000C:

µ(T)= µ0* e-bt

µ0= µ(T) / e-bt
µ(100)=( µ(T) / e-bt) * e-b(373)

( Used to calculate ‘b’ in the equation )

e-b(373) / e-bt=K

V(T) / V(100) = [µ0 * e-bt / ρ(t)] / [ { µ0*e-b(373) }/{ρ(t)/1+α(100-T)}]

Thus,
V(100) / V(T)=[ e-b(373)/ e-bt ] * [1+ α(100-T)]
 CONCLUSION

V(100) / V(T)=[ e-b(373)/ e-bt ] * [1+ α(100-T)]

This Equaiton puts all the values of kinematic viscosity of the oils in the
SAE 40 range.

In order to compensate for the grime buildup and the face that the
engine may have to start in colder weather, the least vicous oil should
be used.

With a dynamic viscosity of 0.023698 kg/m3 and a kinematic viscosity

of 289 cSt, HP Milcy Turbo is the ideal engine oil.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
www.machinerylubrication.com
www.kittiwake.com
www.carbibles.com
www.racq.com.au
www.redlineoil.com
www.upmpg.com
www.oilwinlube.com
www.kewengineering.co.uk
www.howstuffworks.com
www.synlube.com/viscosity.html
www.engineeringtoolbox.com
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_oil