Course detail

Rheology for Chemists

FCH-MA_RPCAcad. year: 2025/2026

Subject of rheology. Simple shear and shear flow. Elastic materials and viscous liquids. Momentum transfer. Acting forces and stress tensor. Navier--stokes equation. Viscosity functions of nonnewtonian liquids, thixotropy, dilatancy and antithixotropy. Viscosity and its measurement.
Kinematics of stationary simple shear flow, dynamics of simple shear flow of viscous liquids, shear response of viscoelastic materials. Linear viscoelasticity, basic tests of linear viscoelasticity: relaxationa and creep. Basic material functions of linear viscoelasticity for shear movements, relaxation spectra, complex viscosity. Viscometric normal tensions. Elongational viscosity. Rheology of polymers, suspensions and emulsions. Practical utilization in applied chemistry.

Language of instruction

English

Number of ECTS credits

4

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

prof. Ing. Martina Klučáková, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Physical and Applied Chemistry (ÚFSCH)

Entry knowledge

Basic knowlefge of mathematics and physical chemistry.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

The exam has written and oral parts. The written test is focused on general knowledge in rheology (limit 50 %). The oral part is the lecture - an example of practical application of rheological knowledge on a real problem.
Lectures are not compulsory but recommended.

Aims

Basic knowledge of rheology and rheometry of liquids and their practical utilization.
Viscometry of non-newtonian liquids, material functions of linear viscoelasticity, their utilization in applied chemistry.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Barnes H. A., Hutton J.F., Walters K.: An introduction to rheology. Elsevier, Amsterdam 1989.
Morrison F. A.: Understanding Rheology. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2001.
Wein O.: Úvod do reologie. FCH VUT v Brně, Brno 1996.

Recommended reading

Not applicable.

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme NPCP_CHCHTE Master's 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory
  • Programme NKCP_CHCHTE Master's 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

prof. Ing. Martina Klučáková, Ph.D.

Syllabus

Rheology. Goals and methods. Mechanical behavior and properties of materials. Applicationas of rheological properties of suspension and polymeric liquids in technology.
Basic quantitative notions in continuum mechanics. Stress and deformation. Simple shear and simple shear flow. Viscosity and elasticity. Newtonian liquids. Hookean materials. Necessity of tensorial description of the kinematics and dynamics of spacial deformation. Deformation gradient and velocity gradient. Stress tensor, isotropic pressure. Rheological constitutive equations. Mathematical models of flow.
Non-linear viscous behavior. Plasticity, viscoplasticity, non-Newtonian viscosity, thixotropy.
Linear viscoelasticity. Dynamics of linear autonomous systems. Relaxation, creep, complex viscosity. Maxwell and Kelvin model.
Viscometry and rheometry. Theory of measuring the shear viscosity function for basic types of viscometers. Viscometric normal stress differences. Instrumentation, calibration, primary data treatment.
Non-linear viscoelasticity. Weissenberg effect and centripetal flow, die swell. Elongation viscosity.
Polymer solutions. Limiting viscosity number vs. mola mass, Mark-Houwink equation, conformational characteristics of macromolecules from viscosity measurements.
Suspensions and emulsions.