The opposite of a dilatant material is a pseudoplastic. Dilatant or shear thickening Fluid&colon; Its viscosity increases with increased stress. Non-Newtonian fluids can be either plastic, Bingham plastic, pseudoplastic, dilatant, thixotropic, rheopectic, viscoelastic. Sand that is completely soaked with water also behaves as a dilatant material. Dilatant behavior occurs when n is greater than 1. Dilatant, or "shear-thickening" fluids increase in apparent viscosity at higher shear rates. Dilatant fluids rarely encountered in everyday situations. Among these are gels, and dilatant fluids, pseudoplastic fluids, liquid crystals. Dilatant materials have certain industrial uses due to their shear thickening behavior. The drum is filled with a dilatant fluid, often silicone-based, to about 80% by volume. A dilatant is a non-Newtonian fluid where the shear viscosity increases with applied shear stress.