Principal strain rates ($a,b,c$)

Principal strain rates are the eigenvalues $a,b,c$ of the symmetric rate-of-strain tensor. Positive values are local extension and negative values local compression. In incompressible flow $a+b+c=0$, implying $a^3+b^3+c^3=3abc$. Their eigenvectors describe the principal deformation directions.

Bi-axial extension has two positive principal strain rates and one negative rate in incompressible flow. It flattens a material volume toward a sheet while extending its two in-plane directions. A negative mean product of the three rates indicates amplitude-weighted preference for this geometry, but alone does not establish an unweighted event-frequency majority.