shearsensitive

Shearsensitive is an adjective used to describe systems, materials, and tissues that respond to shear forces, particularly shear stress or shear rate. The term highlights a response triggered by tangential forces applied parallel to a surface, as opposed to normal forces such as compression. It is used across disciplines such as materials science, rheology, fluid mechanics, and biology. The term is sometimes written as shear-sensitive.

In materials science and rheology, many fluids and soft solids are described as shear-sensitive because their properties change with applied shear. Viscosity may decrease or increase with shear rate (shear-thinning or shear-thickening), and some materials exhibit yield behavior only under sufficient shear. These responses are central to polymer processing, lubrication, and additive manufacturing.

In biology, several cell types are described as shear-sensitive, because they detect and respond to flow-induced shear stress. Endothelial cells lining blood vessels align with the flow, modulate gene expression, and alter permeability in response to shear. Mechanotransduction pathways translate mechanical signals into biochemical responses that influence vascular development and homeostasis.

Measurement and applications. Researchers assess shear sensitivity with rheometers and microfluidic devices that impose controlled shear rates, recording changes in viscosity, stiffness, or electrical signals. The term remains informal in some fields, with alternatives such as shear-responsive or shear-detecting used for clarity.