LINEAR,

AREA, AND
VOLUME
EXPANSION

The most common effect produced by

temperature changes is a change in
size. With some exceptions, all
substances increase in size with rising
temperature.

LINEAR EXPANSION
A change in any one dimension of
a solid is called linear expansion. It is
found experimentally that an increase in
a single dimension, is dependent on
the original dimension and the
change in the temperature.

LINEAR EXPANSION
Lo
to

L
t

LINEAR EXPANSION
to

Lo

L
t

The initial length is Lo, and the

initial temperature is to. When the

rod is heated to a temperature t, its
new length is denoted by L.

LINEAR EXPANSION
to

Lo

L
t

Thus, a change on the temperature

t= t-to, has resulted to in a change in

length L= L-Lo.

LINEAR EXPANSION
The proportional change in length is
given by
0

L L t

where is the proportionality constant

called the coefficient of linear
expansion. Since an increase in
temperature does not produce the same
increase in length for all materials, the
coefficient is a property of the material.

LINEAR EXPANSION
Solving for , we obtain

L0 t

The coefficient of linear

expansion of a substance can be
defined as the change in length per
degree change in temperature. The
units of are in 1/Co and 1/F o

LINEAR EXPANSION
Substance

10-5/Co

10-5/Fo

Aluminum

2.4

1.3

Brass

1.8

1.0

Concrete

0.7-1.2

0.4-0.7

Copper

1.7

0.94

Glass, Pyrex

0.3

0.17

Iron

1.2

0.66

Lead

3.0

1.7

Silver

2.0

1.1

Steel

1.2

0.66

Zinc

2.6

1.44

LINEAR EXPANSION
EXAMPLE:

An iron pipe is 60m long at room

temperature (20oC). If this pipe is to
be used as a steam pipe, how much
allowance must be made for
expansion, and what will be the new
length of pipe after steam has been
flowing for a while? (Fe= 1.2x10-5Co)

LINEAR EXPANSION
SOLUTION:
Fe= 1.2x10-5Co
t= 100oC

L L0 t

Lo= 60m
to= 20oC

= (1.2x10-5Co)(60m)(100oC-20oC)
L = 0.06 m
L= Lo+ L
= 60m + 0.06m
L = 60.06 m

LINEAR EXPANSION
PRACTICE:

A copper pipe is 90 m long at

20oC. What is its new length
when steam passes through the
pipe at 100oC? (Cu= 1.7x10-5Co)

LINEAR EXPANSION
SOLUTION:
Cu= 1.7x10-5Co
t= 100oC

L L0 t

Lo= 90m
to= 20oC

= (1.7x10-5Co)(90m)(100oC-20oC)
L = 0.12 m
L= Lo+ L
= 90m + 0.12m
L = 90.12 m

LINEAR EXPANSION
EXERCISES:

The New River Gorge Bridge in West

Virginia is a steel arch bridge 518 m in
length. How much does its length change
between temperature extremes of -20.0C
and 35.0C. (steel=1.2 x 10-5/C).

LINEAR EXPANSION
EXERCISES:

The bed of a suspension bridge is 200

m long at 20 OC.
If -30 OC temperature in winter has a
contraction of to -0.12m, and in 40OC in
summer with an expansion of 0.05m, what
material does the bed made of?

LINEAR EXPANSION
ANSWERS:
PROBLEM 1

L L0 t
= (1.2 x 10-5/C)(518m)(-20oC-35oC)
L = -0.34 m

LINEAR EXPANSION
ANSWERS:
Winter
L

L0 t

-0.12 .

200(-30-20)
= 1.2 x 10-5

PROBLEM 2
Summer
L

L0 t

0.05 .

200(40-20)
= 1.3 x 10-5

The bed is made out of Iron or Steel.

APPLICATION of
Bras
Bras
EXPANSION
s
Bras Iron
Iron
Iron
Bras
s
s

Iron

Expansion joints are necessary to

allow concrete to expand, and bimetallic
strips can be used for thermostats or to
open and close circuits.

AREA EXPANSION
Expansion on
heating.

A0

Area expansion is analogous to the

enlargement of a photograph.
Example shows heated nut that shrinks to
a tight fit after cooling down.

AREA EXPANSION
W
W

Wo

Lo

AREA EXPANSION
W
W

Wo

Lo
L

The new length is given

L= Lo(l +t),
and the new width is W = Wo (l+t).

AREA EXPANSION
W
W

Wo

Lo
L

We can derive an expression for area

expansion by finding the product of these
two equations.
L = L0(1 + t )
W = W0(1 + t)

AREA EXPANSION
W
W

Wo

Lo
L

A = LW = L0W0(1 + 2t)
A = A0(1 + 2t)
A - A0 =(2A0t)
A= 2A0t

AREA EXPANSION
W
W

Wo

Lo
L

is the coefficient of area of expansion

which is approximately twice the linear
expansion

= 2

AREA EXPANSION
W
W

Wo

Lo
L

A= AOt
A= AO + AOt

AREA EXPANSION

EXAMPLE:

A brass disk has a hole 80m in

diameter punched in its center. Later
at 23OC is placed into boiling water
for few minutes. What will be the
new area of the hole?

AREA EXPANSION

PRACTICE:

A square copper plate 4cm on

a side at 20OC is heated to
120OC. What is the increase in
the area of the copper plate?
-5
O
(=1.7x 10 /C )

AREA EXPANSION

SOLUTION:
A o = s2

= (4x10-3m) 2
= 16x10-6 m 2
= 2
= 2 (1.7x 10-5 /CO)
= 3.4x 10-5 /CO

AREA EXPANSION

SOLUTION:
A= AOt

=(3.4x10-5/CO)(16x10-6m2)(120OC-20OC)
=
5.44 x 10-8 m2

AREA EXPANSION

EXERCISES:

A circular hole steel plate has

a radius of 10.0 m at 27OC.
What must be the temperature
of the plate such that the area of
2
the hole will be 314 m ?
-5
O
(=1.2x 10 /C )

AREA EXPANSION

EXERCISES:

The diameter of a hole in a

plate at 20OC is 3.00m; what will
be plate made out of, if at
O
-176 C the diameter was
decreased by 0.01 m?

Substance

10-5/Co

10-5/Fo

Aluminum

2.4

1.3

Brass

1.8

1.0

Concrete

0.7-1.2

0.4-0.7

Copper

1.7

0.94

Glass, Pyrex

0.3

0.17

Iron

1.2

0.66

Lead

3.0

1.7

Silver

2.0

1.1

Steel

1.2

0.66

Zinc

2.6

1.44

AREA EXPANSION

SOLUTION:
Problem 1

Ao= r2
= (10.0 m) 2
= 314.16 m 2
= 2
= 2 (1.2x 10-5 /CO)
= 2.4x 10-5 /CO

AREA EXPANSION

SOLUTION:

A = t
AO
A- AO = t- tO
AO
314m2- 314.16m2 = t- 27OC
(2.4x 10-5 /CO)(314.16m2)

AREA EXPANSION

SOLUTION:

314m2- 314.16m2 = t- 27OC

(2.4x 10-5 /CO)(314.16m2)
-21.22CO = t- 27OC
-21.22OC + 27OC = t
5.78CO = t

AREA EXPANSION

SOLUTION:

Problem 2
Ao= r2
= (3.0 m) 2
= 28.27 m2

A= r2
= (2.99 m)2
= 28.09 m2

AREA EXPANSION

SOLUTION:
A =
AOt

=
28.27m2 - 28.09m2

(28.09 m2) (-176OC-20OC)

/2 =
-5
O
3.30x10
/C
/2 =
-5
O=
3.30 x10 /C
1.65 x 10-5/CO =

The hole is made out of Copper.

VOLUME
EXPANSION
Expansion
is the
same in all
directions (L, W, and
H), thus:
V

V=
= V
V00 tt

The constant is the

coefficient of volume
expansion.

V0 t

VOLUME

EXPANSION
Liquid
10-4/Co

10-4/Fo

Alcohol, ethyl

11

6.1

Benzene

12.4

6.9

Glycerine

5.1

2.8

Mercury

1.8

1.0

Water

2.1

1.2

VOLUME EXPANSION

EXMAPLE:

What is the increase in volume

of 16.0 L of ethyl alcohol when
the temperature is increased by
30OC?
(Ethyl Alcohol=11x 10-4 /CO)

VOLUME EXPANSION

SOLUTION:
Alcohol:

= 5.1 x 10-4/CO
V = VOt
= (11x 10-4 /CO)(16.0L)(30OC-0OC)
V= 0.53 L

VOLUME
PRACTICE:
EXPANSION

A Pyrex glass bulb is filled with

50 cm3 of mercury at 20OC? What
volume will overflow if the system
is heated uniformly to a
O
temperature of 60 C?
(Pyrex=0.3x 10-5 /CO)
(Hg=1.8x 10-4 /CO)

0.34 cm3

VOLUME EXPANSION

EXERCISE 1:

A Pyrex beaker is filled to the

top with 200mL of glycerine. How
much glycerine will overflow the
top if the system is heated from
O
O
20 C to 100 C?
(pyrex=0.3x 10-5 /CO)
(

glycerine=5.1x 10-4 /CO)

VOLUME EXPANSION

EXERCISE 2:

At 20OC, a copper cube

measures 40m on a side. What is
the volume of the cube when the
temperature reaches 150OC?
(Copper=1.7x 10-5 /CO)

VOLUME EXPANSION

EXERCISE 3:

What is the increase in volume

of 16.0 L of ethyl alcohol when
the temperature is increased by
30OC?
(Alcohol =11 X 10-4/C)

VOLUME EXPANSION

ANSWERS :

1. Voverflow = 8.02 mL
2.V = 64424.32 m3