shear force

Scientific  

1. A force acting in a direction parallel to a surface or to a planar cross section of a body, as for example the pressure of air along the front of an airplane wing. Shear forces often result in shear strain. Resistance to such forces in a fluid is linked to its viscosity.

2. Also called shearing force

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Example Sentences

There is hardly any resistance because the shear force of lathering thins out the fluid.

From Scientific American

Applying sufficiently large shear force, however, provides the energy needed to stretch the polymer molecules out and align them lengthwise.

From Scientific American

The rapid movement of the volcanic particles creates a strong shear force at the bottom of the layer, which pushes some particles in one direction and others in the parallel but opposite direction, Lube says.

From Scientific American

The most universal of these is the shear force generated by blood flow; the endothelial cells that line blood vessels form a chaotic sprawl in static culture, but reorganize and align when subjected to directional fluid flow.

From Nature

He says the gecko’s toes default to non-sticky but can turn on the adhesive qualities by applying small shear force.

From Forbes