In practice, rheology is principally concerned with extending the "classical" disciplines of elasticity and Newtonian Fluid mechanics to more complicated materials. Continuum mechanics Solid mechanics or Strength of materials Elasticity Plasticity Rheology Fluid mechanics Non-Newtonian fluids Newtonian fluids
One of the tasks of rheology is to empirically establish the relationships between deformations and stresses, respectively their derivatives by adequate measurements. These experimental techniques are known as Rheometry. Such relationships are then amenable to mathematical treatment by the established methods of Continuum mechanics.
Rheology has important applications in Engineering, Geophysics and Physiology. In particular, hemorheology is the study of the properties of Blood flow. In Geology, solid Earth materials that exhibit viscous flow over long time scales are known as rheids.