Temperature Stresses:
You have learned in physics regarding the expansion of solids because of rise in temperature. You might recall that the linear expansion of a solid is proportional to the rise in temperature & the proportionality constant is a material property called as Coefficient of Linear
Thermal Expansion mentioned by α, its units are expressed as m/m/oC. If α is the coefficient of linear thermal expansion of a solid, its linear dimensions shall enhance by α m per every meter of its original length for every 1oC go up in temperature.
We might symbolically represent this as,
δ= L × α × ΔT
Where, ΔT is the go up in temperature in oC units.
While the temperature of a solid is go up, expansion or thermal deformation is certainly generated, but it require not always generate stresses.
Thermal stresses are generated in a solid only if the expansion is restrained either partially or fully. This section shall introduce to you the methods of analysis of thermal stresses in solids.