Reference on mechanical behavior of soft matter for rheological research of waxy crude oil

Soft matter is something between the ideal solid and liquid. For the gelled waxy crude oil has the specific and complicated mechanical behavior of the soft matters, learning from the rheological research methods for soft matters is an efficient approach to further investigate the rheological behaviors of waxy crude oil. Herein, the specific mechanical behavior of soft matters was introduced with reference to the rheological behaviors of the waxy crude oils. The controversies in present studies for the yielding behaviors were systematically demonstrated in terms of the concept of yield stress, its measurement, the matter of yield strain, and the viscoelastic response prior to macroflow arising. The rheological behavior during the viscoelasticity-to-yielding transition process after loading was also analyzed. In addition, considering that the rheological measurement is the main means to investigate the complicated structural characteristics of the soft matters, the main research methods of the rheological behaviors of soft matters were illustrated, including the steady shear, creep and large amplitude oscillatory shear, and the appropriate data analysis methods were also summarized, further providing guidance to the in-depth study of the rheological behavior of the waxy crude oil.