Many materials, like foams, emulsions, suspensions and granular media obtain finite rigidity once their constituent particles are brought in contact. Nevertheless, all these materials can be made... Show moreMany materials, like foams, emulsions, suspensions and granular media obtain finite rigidity once their constituent particles are brought in contact. Nevertheless, all these materials can be made to flow by the application of relatively small stresses. By varying thermodynamic (temperature or density) and mechanical (applied stress) variables, one can bring about a transition from a freely flowing to a jammed state. What is the elastic response of foams close to the jamming point? How much can these materials be loaded before they flow? What is their behavior like in the bulk? These problems are of great interest in academics, as well as industrial applications (oil/gas extraction, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food processes). I study the transition from the flowing to the non-flowing regime in foams and analyze the non-affine behavior at this critical point. Additionally, whereas the usual rheological approach is to study the shear, I have developed a technique to measure compressive response in a real-world, foam system, taking gravity and temperature fluctuations into account. Show less
We study the shear flow of two-dimensional foams, i.e., a monolayer of bubbles floating on a soapy solution. We successfully connect local and global flow behaviour
