Shear Strain - The Jam In Your Coffee
Sunday, December 18, 2011 - 08:40
in Physics & Chemistry
Scientists aren't sure what causes clogs in flowing macroscopic particles, like corn, coffee beans and coal chunks. But new experiments suggest that when particles undergo shear strain, they jam sooner than expected. Shear strain is sort of like cupping sand between your hands, and then, without changing the width between them, moving one hand forward and the other hand backward. Not much sand flows between your hands with a force like this. read more