Shear-induced stress relaxation in a two-dimensional wet foam

Abstract

We report on experimental measurements of the flow behavior of a wet, two-dimensional foam under conditions of slow, steady shear. The initial response of the foam is elastic. Above the yield strain, the foam begins to flow. The flow consists of irregular intervals of elastic stretch followed by sudden reductions of the stress, i.e., stress drops. We report on the distribution of the stress drops as a function of the applied shear rate. We also comment on our results in the context of various two-dimensional models of foams.