shear modulus
Noun
Meaning
shear modulus (plural shear moduli)
A measure of the elastic shear stiffness of a material, defined as the ratio of shear stress to shear strain.
Synonym: modulus of rigidity
Synonyms
Examples
Fluids are substances that have zero shear modulus or, in simpler terms, a fluid is a substance which cannot resist any shear force applied to it.
Its estimated shear modulus is similar to that of lead.
The Born criterion is based on rigidity catastrophe caused by the vanishing elastic shear modulus, e.g. when the crystal no longer has sufficient rigidity to mechanically withstand load.