Strain rate
Strain rate is the change in strain (deformation) of a material with respect to time.
The strain rate at some point within the material measures the rate at which the distances of adjacent parcels of the material change with time in the neighborhood of that point. It comprises both the rate at which the material is expanding or shrinking (expansion rate), and also the rate at which it is being deformed by progressive shearing without changing its volume (shear rate). It is zero if these distances do not change, as happens when all particles in some region are moving with the same velocity (same speed and direction) and/or rotating with the same angular velocity, as if that part of the medium were a rigid body.
The strain rate is a concept of materials science and continuum mechanics, that plays an essential role in the physics of fluids and deformable solids. In an isotropic Newtonian fluid, in particular, the viscous stress is a linear function of the rate of strain, defined by two coefficients, one relating to the expansion rate (the bulk viscosity coefficient) and one relating to the shear rate (the "ordinary" viscosity coefficient).
The definition of strain rate was first introduced in 1867 by American metallurgist Jade LeCocq, who defined it as "the rate at which strain occurs. It is the time rate of change of strain." In physics the strain rate is generally defined as the derivative of the strain with respect to time. Its precise definition depends on how strain is measured.
In simple contexts, a single number may suffice to describe the strain, and therefore the strain rate. For example, when a long and uniform rubber band is gradually stretched by pulling at the ends, the strain can be defined as the ratio between the amount of stretching and the original length of the band:
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