A new operator splitting algorithm for elastoviscoplastic flow problems

•Highly nonlinear model for elastoviscoplastic fluid.•Numerical resolution by a new operator splitting method.•Comparison with experimental measurements on liquid foams.

This paper presents an efficient time-dependent decoupled approach for the numerical resolution of the highly nonlinear set of coupled partial differential equations appearing in elastoviscoplastic fluid flow problems. The two main nonlinear difficulties, the viscoplasticity and the viscoelasticity, are then solved separately. Numerical simulations suggest an optimal convergence rate with respect to the space discretization. Finally, numerical results compare well with experimental measurements on liquid foams in a complex geometry. Future works will explore flows of liquid foams for tridimensional geometries where experimental data are available and also compare to flows of others soft glassy materials such as carbopol solutions.