ASTM International

Standard Test Method for Kinematic Viscosity of Transparent and Opaque Liquids (and Calculation of Dynamic Viscosity)
 N D445 REV A

Annotation

This test method specifies a procedure for the determination of the kinematic viscosity, ?, of liquid petroleum products, both transparent and opaque, by measuring the time for a volume of liquid to flow under gravity through a calibrated glass capillary viscometer. The dynamic viscosity, ?, can be obtained by multiplying the kinematic viscosity, ?, by the density, ?, of the liquid.

NOTE 1—For the measurement of the kinematic viscosity and viscosity of bitumens, see also Test Methods D2170 and D2172

NOTE 2—ISO 3104 corresponds to Test Method D445 – 03.

The result obtained from this test method is dependent upon the behavior of the sample and is intended for application to liquids for which primarily the shear stress and shear rates are proportional (Newtonian flow behavior). If, however, the viscosity varies significantly with the rate of shear, different results may be obtained from viscometers of different capillary diameters. The procedure and precision values for residual fuel oils, which under some conditions exhibit non-Newtonian behavior, have been included.

The range of kinematic viscosities covered by this test method is from 0.2 mm2/s to 300 000 mm2/s (see Table A1.1) at all temperatures (see 6.3 and 6.4). The precision has only been determined for those materials, kinematic viscosity ranges and temperatures as shown in the footnotes to the precision section.

The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. The SI unit used in this test method for kinematic viscosity is mm2/s, and the SI unit used in this test method for dynamic viscosity is mPa·s. For user reference, 1 mm2/s = 10-6 m2/s = 1 cSt and 1 mPa·s = 1 cP = 0.001 Pa·s.