Emergent Yielding from Structural Load Transfer in Disordered Soft Solids

Yielding in disordered soft solids originates from the progressive redistribution of load-bearing capacity from recoverable elastic networks to frictional interactions through deformation-induced structural evolution. We present a unified, non-singular constitutive framework demonstrating that this mechanism naturally generates a finite yield stress and a smooth solid-to-fluid transition without prescribed yield criteria, constitutive switching, or divergent viscosities. The framework captures diverse transient and steady rheological phenomena, including Herschel-Bulkley behavior, stress overshoots, hysteresis, viscosity bifurcation, plug-flow formation, and thixotropic steady-state shear banding.