Question

How thermal expansion principle is used by engineers to design bridges?

Answer 1

Dear student,
Thermal expansion can affect bridges with either expanding or contracting the bridge (or, by essentially distorting it's shape).If a bridge gets very heated, the road bed will expand. On the other hand, if the bridge is cooled, the road bed will retract. These changes in the bridge may seem initially insignificant, but with constant temperature changes, there will be constant and pervasive changes in the bridge length. Consequently, the bridge may eventually start to get distorted.

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