Linear Thermal Expansion
Normal Solids Ex. Glass jar too tight, hot water over lid. L – length T – temp. Length and temp. is directly proportional.
Thermal Expansion Linear expansion – increase in any one dimension of a solid, linear is the expansion occurring along a line. Change in length is proportional to both (initial) L and change in Temp. Proportionality constant α(alpha), is called the coefficient of linear expansion.
Thermal Expansion Coefficient of linear expansion ___ has the unit of _____. Value of the ____ depends on the nature of the material.
Coefficients of Thermal Expansion for Solids and Liquids
Expansion Joint
Usefulness Anti-scalding device: shuts off the flow of water when it becomes too hot, Higher temp expands the actuator spring and pushes the plunger forward, shutting off the flow.
Homework Problem 5. If a 42 m steel footbridge experiences extreme temperatures between -12°C and 40°C, what is the range in size of this bridge if it measures exactly 42m at 22°C? (Steel has a coefficient of linear expansion of 1.1x10 -5 /°C)
Calculate Length for each set of values L 1 =L(1+α∆T 1 ) T 1 = =-34 42(1+ 1.1x10 -5 (-34))= m L 2 =L(1+ α∆T 2 ) T 2 =40-22=18 42(1+ 1.1x10 -5 (18))= ∆L=L 2 -L = m