Clay-water suspensions are shear-thinning yield stress fluids whose apparent viscosity increases with solid fraction. It is shown experimentally that, in a wide solid fraction range, their behavior is similar and goes through a transition from non-Newtonian to Newtonian when a nondimensional shear rate increases.

• Received 12 December 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.74.3971