rheology Physics.
(riːˈɒlədʒɪ)
[f. rheo- + -logy.]
a. The study of the deformation and flow of matter, esp. the non-Newtonian flow of liquids and the plastic flow of solids. b. The rheological properties of a substance.
| 1929 Jrnl. Rheol. I (title-page), Journal of Rheology published by the Society of Rheology. 1930 Ibid. I. 508 A large number of words have been suggested and John R. Crawford, late Professor of Latin at Lafayette College, inclined to the belief that ‘rheology’ is the most appropriate designation. 1947 Nature 11 Jan. 71/1 The rheology of suspensions is fundamentally dependent on the dispersion coefficient of the medium. 1968 B. S. Massey Mechanics of Fluids i. 23 The fluids with which engineers most often have to deal are Newtonian, that is, their viscosity is not dependent on either the rate of shear or its duration; and the term ‘mechanics of fluids’ generally refers only to Newtonian fluids (the study of non-Newtonian liquids is termed ‘rheology’). 1968 M. Pyke Food & Society ix. 130 The firmness or toughness of foodstuffs is also a relevant measure of their quality; rheology is the branch of science which has been developed to measure and describe such characteristics. 1978 Nature 30 Mar. 478/2 During his eight years at M.I.T., Goetze and his associates became one of the world's leading groups in the study of the rheology of rocks. |