Shear flow (source code)

= Shear flow

A shear flow has a <velocity field> varying across adjacent fluid layers, giving a nonzero <shear rate>. A parallel example is $\mathbf u=U(z)\mathbf e_x$, with vertical shear $U'$. <Linear shear flow> has constant shear, while a <shear layer> concentrates the velocity change in a narrow region.