Yield stress fluid flows: A review of experimental data

• Published in: Journal of non-Newtonian fluid mechanics 2014-09, Vol.211, p.31-49
• Main Author: Coussot, P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Complex flows; Experiments; Yield stress
• ISSN: 0377-0257; 1873-2631
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnnfm.2014.05.006

Deposit of a foam sample on a shaving brush. This typical yield stress fluid remains in its solid state before its use. [Display omitted] •Review of state of the art for experiments of flows of simple yield stress fluids.•Uniform flows, steady flows through complex geometries, transient flows are reviewed.•Importance of deformations in the solid regime.•Loss of the yield character for secondary flows or deformation imposed. Yield stress fluids are encountered in a wide range of applications: toothpastes, cements, mortars, foams, muds, mayonnaise, etc. The fundamental character of these fluids is that they are able to flow (i.e., deform indefinitely) only if they are submitted to a stress above some critical value. Otherwise they deform in a finite way like solids. The flow characteristics of such materials are difficult to predict as they involve permanent or transient solid and liquid regions that are generally hard to locate a priori. Here we review the present state of the art as it appears from experimental data for flows of simple (non-thixotropic) yield stress fluids under various conditions, viz., uniform flows in straight channels or rheometrical geometries, complex stationary flows in channels of varying cross-section such as extrusion, expansion, flow through a porous medium, transient flows such as flows around obstacles, spreading, spin-coating, squeeze flow, and elongation. The effects of surface tension, confinement, and secondary flows are also reviewed. We focus especially on experimental work identifying internal flow characteristics that can be compared with numerical predictions. It is shown in particular that: (i) deformations in the solid regime can play a critical role in transient flows; (ii) the yield character is not apparent in the flow field when the boundary conditions impose large deformations; (iii) the yield character is lost in secondary flows.