A concrete highway is built of slabs 15 m long. If the coefficient of linear expansion for concrete is 1.2 x 10-5 K-1, how wide should the expansion gaps be between the slabs to prevent buckling of the slabs when temperature changes from -20oC in the winter to 48oc in the summer?

Respuesta :

Answer:

0.01224 m

Explanation:

L = length of the concrete slab = 15 m

α = Coefficient of linear expansion for concrete = 1.2 x 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹

[tex]T_{o}[/tex] = initial temperature of the slab = - 20 °C

[tex]T_{f}[/tex] = final  temperature of the slab = 48 °C

ΔL = expansion in the length of the slab

Expansion in the length of the slab is given as

[tex]\Delta L = L\alpha (T_{f} - T_{o})[/tex]

ΔL = (15) (1.2 x 10⁻⁵) (48 - (- 20))

ΔL = 0.01224 m