Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 October 2008
An investigation is made of the deformation and flow properties of two-dimensional disperse systems consisting of small circular patches of one component widely dispersed in a continuous component with different rheological properties. Attention is restricted to small deformations (or small rates of deformation in the case of a fluid system) so that the equations of state are linear and the properties of each component can be characterized by two elastic moduli, or by two operators involving d/dt which take the place of moduli. Surface tension in each component and boundary tension between the components are taken into account, so that the theory can be applied to interfacial films at liquid-liquid or liquid-gas interfaces as well as to thicker sheets and films. General formulae are derived, expressing the two modulus operators of a disperse system in terms of those of the components, and their use is illustrated by means of examples.