Designation: D 1545 – 98

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS

100 Barr Harbor Dr., West Conshohocken, PA 19428
Reprinted from the Annual Book of ASTM Standards. Copyright ASTM

Standard Test Method for

Viscosity of Transparent Liquids by Bubble Time Method1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 1545; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.

1. Scope 3.3 Reference Standards—A series of standard viscosity

1.1 This test method covers the determination of the viscos- tubes (3.2) filled with transparent liquids having predetermined
ity in bubble seconds by timing. The bubble seconds are viscosities in stokes and bubble seconds and spaced in loga-
approximately equal to stokes for most liquids. rithmically even increments of about 26 % (log
1.2 The test method is applicable to transparent liquids that 1.260 5 0.100), as listed in Table 1. The standards shall be
are free from crystalline or gel particles. marked alphabetically or numerically as shown in Table 1
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the without reference to stokes or bubble time (Note 2). Also listed
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the in Table 1, for general and historical reference only, is the long
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- established series of Gardner-Holdt letter standards, in tubes
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- that do not have the three lines and are shorter than the standard
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. viscosity tubes described in 3.2.
NOTE 2—For convenience, the reference standards can be divided in
2. Terminology three series: light series, 15 tubes marked 0.22 to 8.0; heavy series, 14
2.1 Definitions: tubes marked 10 to 200; and very heavy series, 7 tubes, marked 250 to
2.1.1 viscosity—the resistance experienced by one portion 1000.
of a liquid moving over another portion of the liquid. The 3.4 Timing Device—Stopwatch or electric stop clock ca-
absolute unit of viscosity in the cgs system is the poise which pable of being read to a precision of 0.1 s.
is expressed as dyne-seconds per square centimetre. Stokes are 3.5 Tube Racks, capable of inverting one or more viscosity
equal to poises divided by density. The absolute SI viscosity tubes 180° to within 1° of a vertical position while rack and
unit is the pascal-second. tubes are immersed in the constant temperature bath.
3.6 Viscosity Tube Corks, No. 2 short.
3. Apparatus
3.1 Constant-Temperature Bath—Any suitable bath capable 4. Procedure
of maintaining temperature at 25 6 0.1°C with water as the 4.1 Fill a standard viscosity tube with the material to be
bath medium. tested to approximately level with the 108-mm line.
3.2 Standard Viscosity Tubes,2 of clear glass and with flat 4.2 Transfer the tube to a constant 25°C temperature bath
bottoms, 10.65 6 0.025 mm in inside diameter; 114 6 1 mm with the cork loosely inserted. Hold at this temperature for 10
in outside length. Plainly legible lines shall be located as min.
follows (Note 1):
NOTE 3—Adequate control of the temperature bath is essential. A
27 6 0.5 mm
variation of 0.1°C in the temperature of the bath will cause a 1 % variation
100 6 0.5 mm in the timed bubble travel.
108 6 0.5 mm
The distance between the first and second lines shall be 73 6 4.3 At the end of 10 min adjust the level of the liquid so that
0.5 mm. the bottom meniscus will be level with the 100-mm line. Insert
the cork so that the bottom of the cork is on the level with the
NOTE 1—All distances shall be measured from the outside bottom of 108-mm line. This will ensure a bubble of suitable and uniform
the tube. size.
4.4 Insert the tube in the rack and immerse in the 25°C
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D-1 on Paint water bath. Allow the tube(s) to stand with cork down in the
and Related Coatings, Materials, and Applications and is the direct responsibility of bath a minimum of 20 min before determining the viscosity.
Subcommittee D01.33 on Polymers and Resins.
Current edition approved Oct. 10, 1998. Published December 1998. Originally NOTE 4—For viscosities of liquids that have a timed bubble travel of 4
published as D 1545 – 58 T. Last previous edition D 1545 – 89(1993)e1. s or less, more precise results can be obtained by comparison against
2
Empty standard viscosity tubes are available from the R. P. Cargille Labora- reference standards having a predetermined viscosity or timed bubble
tories, Inc., 55 Commerce Rd., Cedar Grove, NJ, 07009, or Byk-Gardner Inc., travel.
Gardner Laboratory, 2435 Linden Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

1
 D 1545
TABLE 1 Recommended Numerical Standards for Comparator the time in seconds start the timing device when the top of the
Viscosity TubesA bubble becomes tangent to the 27-mm line on the tube. Stop
Bubble the timing when the top of the bubble becomes tangent with the
Gardner- SecondsB Gardner-
Bubble TubeC 100-mm line. This gives a 73-mm timed bubble travel. All
Stokes Holdt and Stokes Holdt
SecondsB Number
Letter TubeC Letter timings shall be made with the tube in an exact vertical
Number
position.
– 0.10– 10–– 10–
–W NOTE 5—Positioning of the tube in a vertical position is mandatory. A
– 0.13– 13–– 13––X
tube one radius off the vertical will give an error of approximately 10 %
–A3
– 0.16– 16–– 16– in the time of bubble travel.
–Y
– 0.20– 20–– 20– 5. Report
0.75–— 0.22– –A2
–Z 5.1 Report the following information:
– 0.25– 25–– 25–
–Z1 5.1.1 The viscosity obtained by the timing method ex-
– 0.32––A1 32–– 32– pressed as “bubble seconds” or “approximate stokes.”
0.81–– 0.34–
–Z2
NOTE 6—The time in seconds or “bubble seconds” is an approximate
– 0.40– 40–– 40–
–Z3 measurement of stokes when the bubble time method is applied to most
0.90–– 0.50–– 0.50––A 50–– 50– raw materials and finished products encountered by the paint, varnish, and
– 0.63– 63–– 63– lacquer industries. This relationship does not hold for silicones or water
–B –Z4 dispersions of gums or similar materials. Viscosity results by this test
1.00–– 0.68–
– 0.80– 80–– 80–
method are influenced by non-Newtonian behavior and by surface tension.
–C Other variations on bubble-tube viscometers are described in ASTM STP
1.15–– 0.92– 500, Section 3.2.9.3
–Z5
– 1.00––D 100–– 100–
1.30–– 1.15–
6. Precision and Bias
– 1.25––E 125–– 125–
–F
6.1 Precision—On the basis of an interlaboratory study4 of
1.55–– †1.45– –Z6 this test method in which ten laboratories tested liquids ranging
– 1.60– 160–– 160– in viscosity from 4.5 to 440 St, the following criteria should be
–G
1.85–– 1.80– used for judging the acceptability of results at the 95 %
– 2.00––H 200–– 200– confidence level:
2.20–– 2.15–
–I 6.1.1 Two results obtained by the same operator should be
– 2.50––J 250–– 250– considered suspect if they differ by more than 4.9 % relative.
2.65D–– 2.65D–
–K 6.1.2 Two results, each the mean of duplicates, obtained by
–L operators in different laboratories should be considered suspect
3.20–– 3.20–– 3.20––M 320–– 320–
–N
if they differ by more than 9.0 % relative.
–O 6.2 Bias—No information can be presented on the bias of
–Z7
4.00–– 4.00–– 4.00––P 400–– 400–
this test method because no materials having an accepted
–Q reference value is available.
–R
5.00–– 5.00–– 5.00––S 500–– 500–
–T 7. Keywords
–Z8
6.30–– 6.30–– 6.30––U 630–– 630– 7.1 Gardner-Holdt; GH viscosity; viscosity
8.00–– 8.00–– 8.00– 800–– 800–
–Z9
–V
10.0–– 10.0–– 10.0– 1000–– 1000–
–Z10
A
Arranged to show relationship between stokes, bubble seconds, and Gardner-
Holdt letters. Stokes are shown in logarithmic progression.
B
The bubble time, in seconds, of the numerical tubes under 4 s was determined
by a technique employing a movie camera.
C
For reference purposes only. Numbered tubes are no longer commercially
available.
D
Above 2.65 the bubble seconds as measured by the kinematic method are
approximately equivalent for most products. Below 2.65 this relationship does not
hold.
† Editorially corrected. 3
Paint Testing Manual, ASTM STP 500, ASTM, 1972.
4
See Holt, K. E., Proceedings, ASTM, Vol 57, 1957, pp. 297–300, and Offıcial
4.5 To read, invert the tube quickly and determine the time Digest, Federation of Societies for Paint Technology, Vol 30, May 1958, pp.
required for the bubble to rise in seconds. When determining 540–543.

2
 D 1545
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