What Does
Viscometer Mean?
A viscometer is a tool that is used to measure the viscosity of a material. By measuring the viscosity, the viscometer is able to quantify the thickness or the amount of internal friction of a material. During the test, the fluid material and the test equipment are brought into contact with one another and the drag is used in the viscosity calculation.
Corrosionpedia Explains Viscometer
A viscometer is a tool used to measure a fluid's resistance to deformation under shear stress, or viscosity.
There are many different types of viscometers available for a wide variety of applications. Perhaps the most common type of viscometer is a Krebs-Stormer viscometer. To carry out a viscosity test with this type, one must first calibrate the machine. Then the spindle is lowered into the sample and allowed to stir the sample. While this occurs, the amount of drag that is being applied to the spindle is captured. Once the Krebs-Stormer viscometer has run its cycle, it calculates the viscosity in Krebs units. A Krebs-Stormer viscometer is frequently used to measure the viscosity of paints and other types of coatings that are used to prevent corrosion.
Other types of viscometers also exist. U-tube viscometers employ a U-shaped tube and determine the viscosity of a material by measuring the time it takes the material to flow through the apparatus. Bubble viscometers measure the amount of time it takes a bubble of gas to move through the material whose viscosity is being tested. A falling sphere viscometer measures viscosity by capturing the time it takes for a sphere of a known dimension and density to make its way from the top of a material sample to the bottom.