microstrains

Noun

microstrain (countable and uncountable, plural microstrains)

1. A strain expressed in terms of parts per million.
   • A strain is a dimensionless quantity and is usually expressed in percentages. Typical measures for strain are less than 2 mm/m for steel and are often expressed in micro-strain units. One microstrain is the strain producing deformation of one part per million.2025 September 26, Grant Maloy Smith, “What Is a Strain Gauge Sensor and How Does It Work?”, in DEWESoft, archived from the original on 14 Nov 2025
2. (materials science) The root mean square of the variations in the lattice parameters across the individual crystallites, usually across microscopic distances, <ϵ²>^(1/2). By definition, it cannot be negative. In contrast, macrostrain refers to the overall change in the lattice parameters caused by a composition change or temperature change or pressure change.
   • The analysis of diffraction-line broadening is one of the most powerful methods to quantitatively analyze defects in crystalline materials. Values for crystallite-size and microstrain parameters can be obtained according to a variety of methods.2005, D. Scott MacKenzie, George E. Totten, Analytical Characterization of Aluminum, Steel, and Superalloys, →ISBN