dilatancy

British  

/ daɪˈleɪtənsɪ, dɪ- /

noun

1. a phenomenon caused by the nature of the stacking or fitting together of particles or granules in a heterogeneous system, such as the solidification of certain sols under pressure, and the thixotropy of certain gels

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Example Sentences

Expat carries with it the sense of choice, but also a whiff of flightiness and dilatancy, the idea that you’ve rejected the country of your birth for reasons of lifestyle rather than need.

From Slate • Feb. 13, 2014

The return to normal of the dilatancy effects provides the second warning.

From Time Magazine Archive

Geophysicist Christopher Scholz of Lamont-Doherty and Amos Nur at Stanford, both of whom had studied under Brace at M.I.T., independently published papers that used dilatancy to explain the Russian findings.

From Time Magazine Archive

If scientists detect changes in P-wave velocities, magnetic field and other dilatancy effects that persist over a wide area, a large quake can be expected�but not for many months.

From Time Magazine Archive

Brace even suggested at the time that the physical changes associated with dilatancy might provide warning of an impending earthquake, but neither he nor anyone else was quite sure how to proceed with his proposal.

From Time Magazine Archive