Material Property Database

This database consolidates typical rheological property ranges for 100+ materials, extracted from the RheoJAX Model Handbook and literature.

Quick Reference by Material Class

Liquids (Newtonian)

Material

Viscosity \(\eta\) (Pa·s)

Temperature (°C)

Notes

Water

0.001

20

Reference fluid

Glycerol

1.5

20

Calibration standard

Honey

10 - 100

20

Varies with type

Motor oil (10W-30)

0.1 - 0.5

100

Shear thinning

Polymer Melts

Material

\(G'\) (Pa at 1 Hz)

\(\eta_0\) (Pa·s)

\(\tau\) (s)

Polyethylene (LDPE)

\(10^4 - 10^5\)

\(10^3 - 10^5\)

1 - 100

Polystyrene (PS)

\(10^4 - 10^6\)

\(10^4 - 10^6\)

0.1 - 10

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)

\(10^3 - 10^5\)

\(10^2 - 10^4\)

0.01 - 1

Gels and Soft Solids

Material

\(G'\) (Pa)

\(G''/G'\)

Classification

Gelatin (5%)

\(10^2 - 10^3\)

0.1 - 0.3

Physical gel

Agar (2%)

\(10^4 - 10^5\)

0.05 - 0.15

Strong gel

Yogurt

\(10^2 - 10^3\)

0.2 - 0.5

Weak gel

Hydrogels (PEG)

\(10^2 - 10^4\)

0.1 - 0.5

Chemical gel

Suspensions

Material

\(\eta\) (Pa·s at 1 \(\text{s}^{-1}\))

\(\phi\) (vol%)

Flow Type

Blood

0.003 - 0.015

40-45

Shear thinning

Ketchup

50 - 200

25-30

Yield stress

Paint (latex)

1 - 10

30-40

Shear thinning

Biological Materials

Material

\(G'\) (Pa at 1 Hz)

\(G''/G'\)

Temperature (°C)

Collagen gel

10 - 100

0.2 - 0.5

37

Fibrin network

10 - 1000

0.1 - 0.3

37

Mucus

1 - 100

0.3 - 1.0

37

Typical Parameter Ranges by Model

Classical Models

Maxwell (liquids):

  • \(G_0\): \(10^3 - 10^6\) Pa

  • \(\eta\): \(1 - 10^6\) Pa·s

  • \(\tau\): 0.001 - 100 s

Zener (solids):

  • \(G_e\): \(10^3 - 10^7\) Pa

  • \(G_m\): \(10^3 - 10^6\) Pa

  • \(\tau\): 0.1 - 1000 s

Fractional Models

Fractional Maxwell Liquid:

  • \(G_0\): \(10^4 - 10^6\) Pa

  • \(\tau\): 0.01 - 100 s

  • \(\alpha\): 0.5 - 0.95

Fractional Zener Solid-Solid:

  • \(G_e\): \(10^3 - 10^6\) Pa

  • \(G_m\): \(10^3 - 10^5\) Pa

  • \(\alpha\): 0.3 - 0.8

Flow Models

PowerLaw:

  • \(K\): 0.01 - 100 \(\text{Pa·s}^n\)

  • \(n\): 0.2 - 1.0 (shear thinning)

Herschel-Bulkley:

  • \(\sigma_y\): 1 - 1000 Pa

  • \(K\): 0.1 - 10 \(\text{Pa·s}^n\)

  • \(n\): 0.3 - 0.9

Using This Database

For parameter validation:

# After fitting
G0 = model.parameters.get_value('G0')

# Check against expected range
if 1e3 < G0 < 1e6:
    print("G0 in typical range for polymer melts")
else:
    print(f"Warning: G0 = {G0:.2e} Pa unusual for this material")

For initial guesses:

# Polymer melt (from database)
model.parameters.set_value('G0', 1e5)  # Mid-range
model.parameters.set_value('eta', 1e4)
model.fit(t, G_t)

Temperature Dependence

WLF Parameters (polymers near \(T_g\)):

  • \(C_1\): 10 - 20 (typical: 17.44 for many polymers)

  • \(C_2\): 30 - 100 K (typical: 51.6 K)

Arrhenius Activation Energy:

  • Simple liquids: 10 - 50 kJ/mol

  • Polymers: 50 - 300 kJ/mol

References

Data compiled from:

  • Ferry, J.D. Viscoelastic Properties of Polymers (1980)

  • Macosko, C.W. Rheology (1994)

  • TA Instruments Rheology Application Notes

  • RheoJAX Model Handbook validation data

See Also