The effect of concentric-cylinder viscometer gap size on the experimental rheological properties of human blood

Abstract

Measurements were made on erythrocyte-plasma suspensions in a concentric-cylinder viscometer with two different gap sizes. The experimental shear stress-shear rate relationship for any given red cell-plasma suspension was found to be independent of the viscometer gap size. This finding contradicts results reported by others; the contradiction arises because of the use of different methods of interpreting a given set of raw data. Viscometers with different characteristics will provide a different set of raw data for a particular blood sample at shear rates below about 1 sec⁻¹.