Rayleigh–Plateau instability of an elasto-viscoplastic filament

A slender-thread model is used to explore the Rayleigh-Plateau instability of a filament of elasto-viscoplastic fluid. Without elasticity, a finite yield stress suppresses any linear instability for a filament of constant radius. Including sub-yield elastic deformation permits an elastic Rayleigh-Plateau instability above a critical Deborah number. If stresses over the thinner sections of the thread breach the yield threshold, viscoplastic deformations then drive the filament towards pinch-off. The thread consequently evolves to a beads-on-a-string structure. The elasto-plastic anatomy of the beads is explored and categorized.