Thixotropy is a property of some products which change their viscosity and become more fluid when subject to constant shear force, e.g., in the mixing stage. The longer the fluid is under shear stress, the less its viscosity.

In normal conditions, a thixotropic fluid is highly viscous (equilibrium viscosity) but becomes liquid or more fluid when subject to shear force. This type of product takes certain time to reach its equilibrium viscosity when an instantaneous change in shear rate occurs. For example, when a mixer’s shear work is stopped or slowed down, the fluid tends to reach equilibrium viscosity, which is always higher than its viscosity when it is being mixed. Read more