Thermoelasticity describes how solid objects change shape and size as temperature changes. Engineers use this knowledge to design structures that can withstand temperature fluctuations without breaking down. Materials expand and contract differently, and understanding this helps engineers design objects that maintain their structural integrity over a range of temperatures. Thermoelasticity formulas are used to describe how objects change shape as temperature changes.
Thermoelasticity is the change in the size and shape of a solid object as that object’s temperature changes. More elastic materials will expand and contract more than more inelastic ones. Scientists use their understanding of thermoelasticity to design materials and objects that can withstand temperature fluctuations without breaking down.
Scientists have understood the equations describing thermoelasticity for over 100 years, but have only recently begun testing materials to determine how thermoelastic they are. By subjecting materials to rising and falling temperatures, engineers are able to predict how much these materials will expand or contract at different temperatures. This knowledge is important when building machines or supporting structures with pieces that must fit tightly together. Understanding the principles of thermoelasticity helps engineers design things that maintain their structural integrity over a range of temperatures.
The principles of thermoelasticity have influenced the way engineers design a variety of different objects. Knowing that concrete expands when it’s heated, for example, is why sidewalks are designed with small gaps between slabs. Without these spaces, the concrete would have no room to expand, placing severe stresses on the material and leading to cracks, failures or holes. Similarly, bridges are designed with expansion joints to allow components to expand as they are heated.
All materials that are elastic expand when heated and contract when cooled. The expansion described by the thermoelasticity formulas is caused by an increase in the movement of atoms in the material. These atoms stay bonded to each other as a solid heats up but the molecular bonds grow in size, allowing the atoms to move away from each other and causing the material to grow. Conversely, when a material is cooled, the atoms move less and the bonds bring them closer together.
The principles of thermoelasticity dictate that expansion caused by a rise in temperature will cause an object to expand in all directions. Concrete slabs expand towards each other, up and down when heated. Cups or other vessels will also expand in all directions such that the total volume they can hold increases with the size of the vessel. In the study of thermoelasticity, specific formulas are used to describe how objects change shape as the temperature changes.
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