Shear waves resist deformation via stiffness rather than tension

Evidence

Transverse shear waves are waves that have a purely transverse (shear) displacement within a solid. That is at right angles to the wave propagation. Unlike simple transverse waves on a thin string, they do not rely on a restoring force due to tension but on the shear force of the solid. Solids can resist static shear deformation, and this is encapsulated in the shear modulus, which is defined as the ratio of shear stress to shear strain. The shear modulus (G) of a material is related to its Young’s modulus via its Poisson ratio (v). This ratio is defined as the ratio of the magnitudes of the lateral strain to the longitudinal strain and is typically between 0.25 for something like glass to 0.5 for something like hard rubber. It arises because there is a change in lateral dimension, and hence lateral strain, when stress is applied in the longitudinal direction (Poisson contraction). — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 113

Categorization

Category: Definitional Content

• DEFINE: Provides the definition of shear modulus and Poisson ratio and how they relate transverse wave speed in solids to material properties.

Related

• Transverse waves move particles side to side rather than push-and-pull. (similarity 0.84)
• Solids support shear forces and thus transversal waves, unlike fluids. (similarity 0.83)
• Poisson ratio links a material’s shear and Young’s moduli via lateral strain (similarity 0.81)
• Shear forces make one part of a material slip past another (similarity 0.79)
• Transverse shear waves travel at about 60 percent of longitudinal wave speed. (similarity 0.79)
• Shear displacement is a right-angle force causing one material part to slip past another (similarity 0.78)
• Denser materials slow sound while stiffer bonds speed it up (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Shear displacement is a right-angle force causing one material part to slip past another #expands (0.95) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 96