A new constitutive equation for elastoviscoplastic fluid flows

From thermodynamic theory, a new three-dimensional model for elastoviscoplastic fluid flows is presented. It extends both the Bingham viscoplastic and the Oldroyd viscoelastic models. Fundamental flows are studied: simple shear flow, uniaxial elongation and large amplitude oscillatory shear. The complex moduli (G', G '') are found to be in qualitative agreement with experimental data for materials that present microscopic network structures and large scale rearrangements. Various fluids of practical interest, such as liquid foams, droplet emulsions or blood, present such elastoviscoplastic behavior: at low stress, the material behaves as a viscoelastic solid, whereas at stresses above a yield stress, the material behaves as a fluid. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.