Thermal Expansion

A grid of thermal protection tiles on the underside of Space Shuttle Endeavour

  • The Concorde was a supersonic transport airplane (SST) in use by British Airways and Air France from 1976–2003. At its cruising speed of 2170 km/h (2.04 times the speed of sound), friction with the air would heat the airframe to 120 °C. This caused the plane to stretch by about 20 cm. The dimensions of the Concorde are 61.66 × 25.6 × 8.5 m. Assume the temperature of the airframe when Concorde is on the ground is 20 °C.
    1. Determine the coefficient of thermal expansion of the Concorde.
    2. Use your results from part a. to determine the material used to construct the Concorde.
  • A 64 liter gas tank is filled completely at 15 °C. How much gasoline overflows, if the tank heats up to 35 °C while the car is parked in direct sunlight?
  • A 200 liter steel water tank is filled from a horizontal inlet pipe at the bottom. A vertical overflow pipe rises vertically from the top. Both pipes are 2.0 cm in diameter. How high does the water rise in the overflow pipe if the water is heated from 15 °C to 40 °C?
  • The underside of all US space shuttle orbiters were covered in lightweight, ceramic insulating tiles. These tiles varied in size and shape, but were basically 15 cm squares spaced 1.5 mm apart (at room temperature). They were designed to withstand reentry temperatures of up to +1260 °C. What is the approximate coefficient of thermal expansion of these tiles?

    • statistical

    1. Use the data from the following experiment to determine the volume expansivity of these eight liquefied gases.
      1. liquid-argon.txt
      2. liquid-krypton.txt
      3. liquid-xenon.txt
      4. liquid-oxygen.txt
      5. liquid-nitrogen.txt
      6. liquid-carbon-monoxide.txt
      7. liquid-methane.txt
      8. liquid-carbon-tetrafluoride.txt

      Thermal Expansion

      No condition is permanent.