Rayleigh-Plateau instability of an elasto-viscoplastic filament
Fluid Dynamics
2025-12-25 v1
Abstract
A slender-thread model is derived to explore the Rayleigh-Plateau instability of a filament of elasto-viscoplastic fluid. Without elasticity, a finite yield stress suppresses any linear instability for a filament of constant radius. Including sub-yield elastic deformation permits an elastic Rayleigh-Plateau instability above a critical Weissenberg number. If stresses over the thinner sections of the thread breach the yield threshold, viscoplastic deformations then drive the filament towards pinch-off. The thread consequently evolves to a beads-on-a-string structure. The elasto-plastic anatomy of the beads is explored and categorized.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2512.21059,
title = {Rayleigh-Plateau instability of an elasto-viscoplastic filament},
author = {James D. Shemilt and Neil J. Balmforth},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.21059},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
12 pages, 8 figures