Free Thermal Expansion Strain Calculator
Calculate the thermal strain and length change in a material due to a temperature difference.
Thermal Strain (epsilon)
0.001200
Thermal Strain (epsilon) vs Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (alpha)
Thermal Expansion and Strain
Materials expand or contract when their temperature changes. The thermal strain is proportional to the temperature change and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE).
Formula
epsilon_thermal = alpha × delta_T
delta_L = alpha × delta_T × L
where alpha is the CTE, delta_T is the temperature change, and L is the original length. If the component is constrained from expanding, a thermal stress develops: sigma = E × alpha × delta_T.
Example Calculation
A 1000 mm steel bar (alpha = 12 × 10⁻⁶/°C) heated by 100°C.
- 01epsilon = 12 × 10⁻⁶ × 100 = 0.0012 (0.12%)
- 02delta_L = 0.0012 × 1000 = 1.2 mm
- 03If constrained: sigma = 200000 × 0.0012 = 240 MPa
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