The study of rheology attempts to determine how materials flow and change shape under stress.
Understanding the basic rheological properties of floor coatings helps experts predict the behavior of their products and make professional decisions accordingly.
There is a long list of rheological properties, each of which plays a role in determining when and where it is appropriate to use a particular product. Artisans working with paints or other coatings should have an understanding of shear stress and strain, shear rate, viscosity, shear thinning or thickening, thixotropy, viscoelasticity, and normal force in their work: to ensure that they choose the right coating for each site Environmental conditions and practical obligations of the material.
Viscosity and thixotropy are important when applying floor coatings. Viscosity is a measure of a material's resistance to flow. Low-viscosity materials, such as water, move easily when a force is applied. High-viscosity materials, such as paint, tend to be thicker and require more force to move. Materials that exhibit a time-varying viscosity behavior can be described using the term thixotropy. Paint can be described as such because over time it becomes less viscous and more difficult to work with.
Understanding the viscous and thixotropic properties of paints allows flooring professionals to predict how paints will behave. For example, knowing the important role temperature plays in determining viscosity, applicators can control the temperature of their site before starting work, or increase or decrease the amount of thinner or water to achieve the best paint viscosity.