Shear strain, denoted by the symbol , is a measure of deformation in a material caused by shear stress. It describes the relative displacement of layers within the material parallel to a plane where the shear stress is applied. The formula for shear strain is given by:
Where:
- is the shear strain (unitless, as it’s a ratio of lengths).
- Δ is the displacement parallel to the applied shear stress (in meters, m).
- is the initial thickness of the material in the direction perpendicular to the applied shear stress (in meters, m).