Strain and Deformation

Components of strain:
1) translation
2) rotation
3) shape change
4) volume change

Homogeneous strain:
straight lines remain straight
A circle deforms to an ellipse (long axis; short axis)

Heterogeneous strain
Above conditions do not apply (e.g. straght lines
become curved)

By reducing scale, all deformation can be viewed as

homogeneous.
3 mutually perpendicular lines always exist before
and after deformation:

Principal strain axes: X>Y>Z (not necessarily the

same as principal stress axes).

Principal strain axes define strain ellipse

(in 3-D: strain ellipsoid).

Strain path

Different deformation paths can lead to same final

state: problem for geologists.

Irrotational strain + rigid body rotation = simple

shear.
 Co-axial vs. non-coaxial strain

Co-axial strain:
Pure shear- no rotation of principal strain axes.

Non-coaxial strain:
Simple shear- rotation of strain axes.

General shear: combination of both

Vorticity number W = cos 

 = angle between flow lines and reference line

Pure shear: W = 0
General shear: 0<W<1
Simple shear: W = 1


 Strain quantities
1) Length, 2) volume and 3) angular change

Elongation: e = (efinal – e initial)/einitial

= e/einitial where e = length change

e.g. 1 meter ruler becomes 2 meter ruler:

e = (2-1)/1 = 100% extension

e.g. 1 meter ruler becomes 0.5 meters:

(0.5 – 1)/1 = -0.5 = 50% shortening

In 3-D:
X = 1+ e1, Y = 1+e2, Z = 1+e3
Volumetric change
 = (Vfinal – Vinitial)/Vinitial

 = V/Vinitial

where V = volume change

e.g. stylolites in limestones; zircons in mylonites

Angular strain
 Simple shear

 = tan 

if  = 45 deg.,  = 1

In nature,  >10 difficult to measure

 Flinn diagram

a= X/Y
b = Y/Z

k = (a-1)/(b-1)

if k = 0-1, = flattening; oblate ellipsoid

if k =1- infinity: prolate ellipsoid (cigar shape)