Thermal Stress Calculator — सूत्र
## Thermal Stress in Restrained Members
When a material cannot expand or contract freely, temperature changes produce internal stresses.
### Formula
**sigma_thermal = E alpha delta_T**
where E is the elastic modulus, alpha is the coefficient of linear thermal expansion, and delta_T is the temperature change. Heating a restrained member produces compression; cooling produces tension.
When a material cannot expand or contract freely, temperature changes produce internal stresses.
### Formula
**sigma_thermal = E alpha delta_T**
where E is the elastic modulus, alpha is the coefficient of linear thermal expansion, and delta_T is the temperature change. Heating a restrained member produces compression; cooling produces tension.
हल किया गया उदाहरण
A steel rail (E=200 GPa, alpha=12e-6 /deg C) heated by 80 deg C while fully restrained.
- Free strain = 12e-6 x 80 = 9.6e-4 = 0.000960
- Thermal stress = 200,000 MPa x 0.000960 = 192 MPa
- This is 77% of steel yield (250 MPa), highlighting why expansion joints are critical.