Normal stresses in surface shear experiments

When viscoelastic bulk phases are sheared, the deformation of the sample induces not only shear stresses, but also normal stresses. This is a well known and well understood effect, that leads to phenomena such as rod climbing, when such phases are stirred with an overhead stirrer, or to die swell in extrusion. Viscoelastic interfaces share many commonalities with viscoelastic bulk phases, with respect to their response to deformations. There is however little experimental evidence that shear deformations of interfaces can induce in-plane normal stresses (not to be confused with stresses normal to the interface). Theoretical models for the stress-deformation behavior of complex fluid-fluid interfaces subjected to shear, predict the existence of in-plane normal stresses. In this paper we suggest methods to confirm the existence of such stresses experimentally.