A solid-based approach for modeling simple yield-stress fluids: Rheological transitions, overshoot and relaxation

Yield-stress fluids are ubiquitous and encountered in diverse fields ranging from natural muddy flows to industrial applications such as secondary battery electrode slurries and direct ink writing. Despite the proposal of various constitutive equations, few models have been shown to successfully predict both steady and transient rheological behaviors in yield-stress fluids. In this study, a constitutive equation is hereby proposed, offering a comprehensive description of the rheological characteristics observed in simple yield-stress fluids, excluding thixotropy, such as the Carbopol dispersion. The constitutive equation is derived from a Zener-type viscoelastic solid element combined with an additional linear dashpot connected in parallel, together with a nonlinear viscosity model, a flow rule, an evolution equation for the back stress, and the Kröner–Lee decomposition. This combination satisfies the principle of material frame invariance. The proposed model successfully reproduces the rheological characteristics qualitatively in a manner consistent with experimental observations conducted during startup shear, creep, and stress relaxation tests. In particular, the present viscoelastic solid-based constitutive equation is shown to accurately predict stress overshoot during startup shear. Importantly, the overshoot is found to originate from a homogeneous mechanism in which the normal stress difference enhances the stress invariant, thereby accelerating the plastic response, rather than from isotropic hardening or spatially heterogeneous microstructural evolution. This study is expected to facilitate a deeper understanding of the intricate dynamics governing the flow of yield-stress fluids.