Description:
<jats:p>Simultaneous measurements of flow birefringence, shear and normal stresses on a 15% solution of polyisobutylene in decalin were performed. They proved that the extinction angle measured in birefringence is identical to the orientation of the principal tensile stress calculated from the normal stress measurements and that the birefringence was proportional to the difference in principal stresses in flow. A detailed discussion of the significance of this result is given with a possibility of a far-reaching generalization of the mechanical behavior of high polymer solutions.</jats:p>