What, having extremes of 'thick' and 'thin', is the measure of a fluid's internal friction/resistance under stress?
Friction friction and wear in so-called self-lubricating materials. Fluid friction occurs between fluid layers that are moving relative to each other. This internal resistance to flow is named "viscosity". In everyday terms, the viscosity of a fluid is described as its "thickness". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity. The less viscous the fluid, the greater its ease of deformation or movement. All real fluids (except superfluids) offer some resistance to shearing and therefore are viscous. For teaching and explanatory purposes it is helpful to use the concept of an inviscid fluid
Fluid bearing resistance. Water lubricated rubber bearings operate under the condition of mixed-lubrication. Unlike contact-roller bearings, an air bearing (or air caster) utilizes a thin film of pressurized air to provide an exceedingly low friction load-bearing interface between surfaces. The two surfaces don't touch. Being non-contact, air bearings avoid the traditional bearing-related problems of friction, wear, particulates, and lubricant handling, and offer distinct advantages in precision positioning, such as lacking backlash and stiction, as well as in high-speed applications. The fluid film of the bearing is air that flows through the bearing itself to the bearing surface. The design of the air