Cracking of Viscoelastic Media

When a particle suspension dries, it shrinks and cracks in a very complex manner. What is the structure of the cracks and how do they form? We studied this wonderfully rich system, which involves fluid diffusion and flow, viscoelasticity (changing over time!), stress propagation and many other issues that are common in soft condensed matter.

This system was studied by Eric Corwin, Dorothy Wang, and Tony Dinsmore .