Boltzmann superposition principle for a time-dependent soft material: assessment under creep flow field

Variety of time-dependent soft materials that undergo evolution of microstructure are known to follow the Boltzmann superposition principle when appropriately transformed from the real to the effective time domain. This behavior is attributed to obliteration of time dependency in the effective time domain by normalizing the real time by the time-dependent relaxation time. This work is aimed at assessing validity of the Boltzmann superposition principle in the effective time domain under application of step changes and ramps in stress for a time-dependent soft glassy material: an aqueous suspension of Laponite, whose rheological properties are known to show strong time and stress dependency. Interestingly, creep experiments started at different aging times and for different constant stresses indeed lead to a comprehensive time–aging time–stress superposition resulting in time and stress dependence of relaxation time and modulus. Subsequently, we analyze compliance response of the material to different kinds of stress step change and ramp combinations. We observe that except few, most of the compliance data plotted in the effective time domain does not overlap on the comprehensive superposition. We analyze this behavior and attribute the observed mismatch to the history dependence of the time evolution of modulus.