Continuum theory of memory effect in crack patterns of drying pastes

TL;DR

This paper presents a macroscopic elastoplastic model explaining the memory effect in crack patterns of drying pastes, showing how residual tension influences crack orientation under steady gravitational flow.

Contribution

It introduces a novel elastoplastic modeling approach to explain the memory effect in drying pastes, extending understanding beyond oscillation-induced effects.

Findings

Residual tension causes cracks perpendicular to flow direction.

Model predicts memory effect similar to oscillation experiments.

Flow driven by gravity induces crack patterns consistent with observations.

Abstract

A possible clarification of memory effect observed in crack patterns of drying pastes [A. Nakahara and Y. Matsuo, J. Phys. Soc. Japan 74, 1362 (2005)] is presented in terms of a macroscopic elastoplastic model of isotropic pastes. We study flows driven by steady gravitational force instead of external oscillation. The model predicts creation of residual tension in favor of cracks perpendicular to the flow direction, thus causing the same type of memory effect as that reported by Nakahara and Matsuo for oscillated CaCO_3 pastes.