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Subyield Dynamics in Yield-Stress Materials

Alice Woodbridge1,*, Kasra Amini2,*, Fredrik Lundell2, Outi Tammisola3, Anne Juel1, Robert J. Poole4, and Cláudio P. Fonte5,†

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy and Manchester Centre for Nonlinear Dynamics, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
  • 2FLOW and Fluid Physics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, KTH, Stockholm SE-100 44, Sweden
  • 3FLOW and SeRC (Swedish e-Science Research Centre), Department of Engineering Mechanics, KTH, Stockholm SE-100 44, Sweden
  • 4School of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GH, United Kingdom
  • 5Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: claudio.fonte@manchester.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 164001 – Published 21 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/gkv5-9c4l

Abstract

The mechanical response of yield-stress materials below the yield point remains a subject of debate. Two of the most widely used constitutive models for these materials offer fundamentally conflicting views: one permits plastic flow at all stress levels, while the other assumes entirely recoverable viscoelasticity below yield. Using parallel superposition rheometry, we test the subyield behavior of a microgel and an emulsion. When residual slip effects are properly accounted for, both fluids exhibit bounded, periodic strain responses, offering compelling evidence that they do not flow in the studied regime. Our results indicate that the subyield regime is underpinned by nonlinear viscoelasticity and underscore the need for improved constitutive relations that capture such effects without treating yielding as a precursor for nonlinearity.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 164001– Published 21 April, 2026
  • Received 2 July 2025
  • Revised 5 November 2025
  • Accepted 16 March 2026
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