Viscosity in the Fluids

Juliana Cely Lache; David Hernández Patiño; Cristhian Morales Delgado

February 2020

1 Abstract
In the following report we evaluate significant data for the respective calculation
of the viscosity of a fluid, through a work in the laboratory classroom led by the
teacher in charge for learning and knowledge of one of the most important and
most considered properties at the time of study. For this it is necessary certain
work elements or materials arranged in the laboratory which will be specified
later. For this study we will consider three fluids, in order to better understand
its properties and its behavior taking into account the temperature, since each
fluid behaves differently at different temperatures, such fluids such as water,
oil, glycerin are what are they will work in the test, the way to proceed in the
classroom will be specified in the method and in the same way the way to take
the data, said data will be used for the calculation of the absolute viscosity that
is what we want to know in this report.

2 Introduction
Fluids are substances capable of flowing and that adapt to the shape of the
containers that contain them. When in balance, fluids cannot withstand tan-
gential or shear forces. All fluids are compressible to some degree and offer little
resistance to shape changes.[2] The viscosity is established as a property of flu-
ids that establishes a resistance to movement for certain liquids that are called
Newtonian where the viscosity is constant and depends on the temperature and
pressure such as water, likewise, there are also no liquids Newtonians whose
viscosity varies with the temperature and the shear stress that is applied in this
case these fluids tend to be more gelatinous as for example in this case glycerin.
Taking this into account, determining the viscosity of a fluid is important since
considering this property, it is possible to determine ways of using the respective
fluid to work.[1]

3 Methods
The experimental setup for the practice of fluid viscosity consists in determining
the viscosity of three different fluids, in this case water, oil and glycerin, using

1
three 1000 mL specimens for each fluid, three different spheres of different di-
ameter and weight, a stopwatch to obtain the delta t, a rule to determine delta
h and a thermometer.
In the respective fluids with the thermometer, the temperature of each one
is taken to determine its specific theoretical density, then the respective delta
h is determined and also the delta t corresponding to that range, which takes
time to drop the sphere.
From the execution of the drag force, it is possible to clear the equation of
the viscosity and that of the terminal velocity of the particle

F D = 4/3Π3 g(ρp − ρf ) (1)

Figure 1: Water

Figure 2: Oil

2
4 Results and Analysis
The physical characteristics of the spheres used in practice are presented in
Tables 2, 6 and 8 below.
Tables 3, 6 and 9 present the viscosity of the fluids used in each test, in order
to determine these viscosities, the following equation was used

µ = 2∆t(ρp − ρf ) r2g/ 9∆x (2)

The temperature of the fluids was taken, to assign them the corresponding
density, these values can be seen in table 1. The density used for the oil was
the density of the castor oil.

Fluid Density (kg/m3 ) Temperature (C)

Water 998,911 18
Oil 960 20
Glycerin 1262 20

Table 1: Fluids Properties

Tables 4, 7 and 10 present the temrinal velocity of the sphere, the sphere
reaches a maximum velocity since a static balance occurs, then the equation
used is presented.

V t = 2/9 ∗ (ρp − ρf ) /µ ∗ r2 g (3)

Sphere Mass (kg) Diameter (m) Volume (m3 ) Density (kg/m3 )

1 0,00100 0,0115 7,963E-07 1255,764
2 0,00489 0,0166 2,410E-06 2029,422
3 0,00512 0,0168 2,483E-06 2062,260
4 0,00573 0,0164 2,310E-06 2480,987

Table 2: Properties shows 1

Sphere Oil Water Glycerin

1 0,1070 0,0742 -
2 0,2043 0,2232 -
3 0,2273 0,2082 -
4 - - 1,4030

Table 3: Viscosities sample 1

3
 Sphere Oil Water Glycerin
1 0,1993 0,2494 -0,0003
2 0,7895 0,6962 -
3 0,7459 0,7857 -
4 - - 1,4030

Table 4: Final Velocity sample 1

Sphere Mass (kg) Diameter (m) Volume (m3 ) Density (kg/m3 )

1 0,00572 0,0164 2,310E-06 2476,657
2 0,00546 0,0162 2,235E-06 2443,212
3 0,00563 0,0161 2,195E-06 2565,342

Table 5: Properties shows 2

Sphere Water Glycerin

1 0,3426 1,5093
2 0,4022 1,3965
3 0,3510 1,4708

Table 6: Viscosities sample 2

Sphere Water Glycerin

1 0,6324 0,1180
2 0,5150 0,1213
3 0,6324 0,1255

Table 7: Final Velocity sample 2

Sphere Mass (kg) Diameter (m) Volume (m3 ) Density (kg/m3 )

1 0,00566 0,01620 2,226E-06 2542,569
2 0,00834 0,00947 4,442E-07 18774,837
3 0,00355 0,01260 1,047E-06 3389,363

Table 8: Properties shows 3

Sphere Oil Water Glycerin

1 0,5995 1,9065
2 0,9056 - 1,6894
3 0,3546 - 0,7737

Table 9: Viscosities sample 3

4
 Sphere Oil Water Glycerin
1 - 0,3715 0,0961
2 0,9608 - 0,5063
3 0,5927 - 0,2379

Table 10: Final Velocity sample 3

Figure 3: Shows 1 2

Figure 4: Shows 3

5 Conclusion
It can be concluded that the property of viscosity greatly influences fluid flow,
this can be observed by comparing the three different fluids, where glycerin has
the highest viscosity and the sphere travel was more visible to the human eye,
and unlike the water, where the viscosity is lower, the travel of the sphere was
not so easy to observe.
It is concluded that density is one of the physical properties that character-

5
izes and identifies any substance since it is characterized as an intensive property
being independent of its mass.
In fluids it can present changes in its density depending on the change in
temperature and pressure, which causes that body to be lighter or heavier.
Density allows us to know the lightness or heaviness of a substance. Which
can be determined with a mass volume ratio.
With laboratory equipment such as test specimens it was possible to signif-
icantly reduce possible pressure errors.

References
[1] HC Brinkman. The viscosity of concentrated suspensions and solutions. The
Journal of Chemical Physics, 20(4):571–571, 1952.
[2] Robert W Fox, Alan T McDonald, Gabriel Nagore Cázares, and Ray-
mundo López Callejas. Introducción a la Mecánica de Fluidos. McGraw-Hill,
1995.