A two-component, hot-film probe has been developed, to measure the wal
l shear stress as a vector quantity in time-dependent flows. The probe
has been applied for the measurements of the bottom shear stress in a
flow generated by combined waves and current in a water basin where t
he magnitude and the direction of the bottom shear stress varied perio
dically with respect to time. The probe has also been used to measure
the bottom shear stress around a vertical cylinder exposed to water wa
ves generated in a wave flume.