Deformation and flow of amorphous solids: Insights from elastoplastic models

Abstract

As with liquids, amorphous solids are disordered but nonetheless preserve their shapes under small stress and flow only when pushed hard enough. Common examples include emulsions, foams, and colloidal, metallic, and polymer glasses, and even mayonnaise, toothpaste, shaving foam, and heaps of rice. This paper presents a review of elastoplastic models to describe the deformation and flow of these materials, the physical insight provided by these models on strain localization, creep, and steady-state rheology, and addresses the fundamental questions of criticality at the yielding point and the statistics of avalanches.