In interfacial shear rheology, the interfacial area remains the same throughout the measurement. Instead, the interfacial area is sheared in order to be able to measure the surface stress present. The equations are similar to dilatational interfacial rheology but shear modulus is often marked with G instead of E like in dilational methods. In a general case, G and E are not equal.
Since interfacial rheological properties are relatively weak, it causes challenges for the measurement equipment. For high sensitivity, it is essential to maximize the contribution of the interface while minimizing the contribution of the bulk phase. The Boussinesq number, Bo, depicts how sensitive a measurement method is for detecting the interfacial viscoelasticity.
The commercialized measurement techniques for interfacial shear rheology include magnetic needle method, rotating ring method and rotating bicone method. The magnetic needle method, developed by Brooks et al., has the highest Boussinesq number of the commercialized methods. In this method, a thin magnetic needle is oscillated at the interface using a magnetic field. By following the movement of the needle with a camera, the viscoelastic properties of the interface can be detected. This method is often used in combination with a Langmuir trough in order to be able to conduct the experiment as a function of the packing density of the molecules or particles.