Dissemination of IT for the Promotion of Materials Science (DoITPoMS)

DoITPoMS Teaching & Learning Packages Thermal Expansion and the Bi-material Strip Experiment: Measuring the thermal expansivity of polycarbonate
Thermal Expansion and the Bi-material Strip AimsBefore you startIntroductionExperiment: Measurement of Young's modulusResults: Measurement of Young's modulusSimulation: Measurement of Young's modulusOrigin of thermal expansionThe bi-material stripExperiment: Estimating the boiling temperature of nitrogenResults: Estimating the boiling temperature of nitrogenExperiment: Measuring the thermal expansivity of polycarbonateResults: Measuring the thermal expansivity of polycarbonateSummaryQuestionsGoing further
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Experiment: Measuring the thermal expansivity of polycarbonate

First the tray and specimen are brought back to room temperature by immersing in a bucket of water. (Warming up is complete by when the strip has become approximately straight again.)

It is IMPORTANT not to attempt to swap over specimens while the tray is cold.

The experiment is then repeated for the aluminium-polycarbonate strip. The thermal expansivity of polycarbonate can then be estimated, again assuming that the expansivity of aluminium given in the properties table is correct, and using the value for ΔT obtained previously.

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