  Isotropic and spatially homogeneous viscous fluid cosmological models are
investigated using the truncated Israel-Stewart theory of irreversible
thermodynamics to model the bulk viscous pressure. The governing system of
differential equations is written in terms of dimensionless variables and a set
of dimensionless equations of state is then utilized to complete the system.
The resulting dynamical system is analyzed using geometric techniques from
dynamical systems theory to find the qualitative behaviour of the
Friedmann-Robertson-Walker models with bulk viscosity. In these models there
exists a free parameter such that the qualitative behaviour of the models can
be quite different (for certain ranges of values of this parameter) from that
found in models satisfying the Eckart theory studied previously. In addition,
the conditions under which the models inflate are investigated.
