The shear flow of two dimensional foams is probed as a function of shear rate
and disorder. Disordered foams exhibit strongly rate dependent velocity
profiles, whereas ordered foams show rate independence. Both behaviors are
captured quantitatively in a simple model based on the balance of the
time-averaged drag forces in the foam, which are found to exhibit power-law
scaling with the foam velocity and strain rate. Disorder modifies the scaling
of the averaged inter-bubble drag forces, which in turn causes the observed
rate dependence in disordered foams.Comment: 4 Figures, 4 page