Viscosity describes a fluid’s resistance to flow. Liquids such as water that flow easily, have a lower viscosity than do liquids such as ketchup. Viscosity has little effect on the ability of a penetrant material to enter a defect but it does have an effect on the speed at which the penetrant fills a defect. The equations for the fill times of a cylindrical void and an elliptical void are shown below:
Cylindrical Void
Fill time = (2l2m)/ rcosq sLG
Elliptical Void
Fill time = [(2l2m) / sLGcosq] * [a2+b2 / (a+b)ab]
Where: l = defect depth
m = viscosity
r = radius of the crack opening
s LG = liquid-gas surface tension
q = contact angle
a = flaw width
b = flaw length
From these equations, it can be seen that fill time is directly proportional to penetrant viscosity. While it has no real bearing on this discussion, it should be noted that the two equations do not take into account entrapped gas that could be present in a closed end capillary.
