Thermal expansion

BEST ‘O’ LEVEL PHYSICS REVISION NOTES ®

THERMAL EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION
Compiled by G. TARUVINGA

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 Thermal expansion

7.2 THERMAL EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION

THERMAL EXPANSION CONTRACTION

OBJECTIVES
1. Describe qualitatively the thermal expansion of solids, liquids and gases.
2. Explain the relative order of magnitude of expansions of solids, liquids and gases.
3. Identify and explain some of the everyday applications and consequences of thermal
expansion.

Thermal expansion and contraction of solids, liquids and gases

- Substances increase in size when heated.

- The increase in size when a substance is heated is called expansion.
- On the other hand substances decrease in size when cooled.
- The decrease in size when a substance is cooled is called contraction.
- Thermal expansion is the increase in size or volume of an object with increase in
temperature
- On the contrary, thermal contraction is the decrease in size of an object when its
temperature decreases.
- For the same temperature range gases expand more than liquids which expand more
than solids.
- The relative order of magnitude of expansion is gases followed by liquids followed by
solids. Why?
EXPANSION IN SOLIDS
Why solids expand
The particles in a solid are closely packed and vibrating about fixed positions. The kinetic
energy of the molecules of an object depends on its temperature.
When a solid is heated the particles gain more kinetic energy and therefore make larger
vibrations about their fixed positions. This increase in vibrations means that the particles
collide with each other with greater forces, push each other further away and the
distance between the particles increases and so the solid expands.

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EXPERIMENTS TO DEMONSTRATE EXPANSION IN SOLIDS

1. Ball and ring experiment

Thermal expansion in solids is demonstrated using a ball and ring. Set the apparatus as
shown below

NOTE: The ball passes through the ring when both are at room temperature.
Heat the ball and try to pass it through the ring. Observe what happens.
Leave the ball to cool for some time. What do you observe?

Observation
When both the ball and ring are at the same temperature, the ball passes through the
ring.
When the ball is heated, it does not pass through the ring.
When the ball is left to cool, it then passes through the ring.

Explanation
When heated, the ball expands so that it cannot go through the ring. When left on the
ring for some time the ball cools, contracts and then goes through the ring. At the same
time the temperature of the ring increases and the ring expands so that the ball goes
through.

Conclusion
When the ball is not heated then it will pass through the ring very easily because it has a
small volume (size).
When the ball is heated, it will expand and increase in volume (size), so it will not pass
through the ring.

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When the ball is cooled, it will contract and decrease in volume (size), so it will pass
through the ring.
This shows that solids expand when heated and contract when cooled.

2. Bar and gauge experiment

When the bar is heated, it expands and does not fit into the gauge. This indicates that the
area of the bar has expanded on heating. When the bar is allowed to cool, it fits inside the
gauge again. This indicates that the area of the bar contracted on cooling.

LINEAR EXPANSIVITY
The measure of the tendency of a material to expand is called its Expansivity, e.g.
aluminium has a higher Expansivity than iron.
MATERIAL LINEAR EXPANSIVITY (K-1) x 10-6
Aluminium 26
Brass 19
Copper 16.8
Iron 12
Concrete 11
Steel 11
Glass 9
The knowledge of linear expansivity values is applied in the design of structures to ensure
that they are able to operate well under changing thermal conditions.
Examples
Ordinary glass expands at a higher rate than Pyrex glass. Hot water poured into a glass
tumbler breaks it but does not break a Pyrex tumbler.
Concrete is reinforced with steel rods because the two are of the same linear expansivity.
Hence cannot crack under varying thermal conditions.

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The bimetallic strip

When two metals of different linear expansivity are riveted together they form a
bimetallic strip.
E.g., brass and steel are used to make the bimetallic strip as shown.

On heating the bimetallic strip, brass expands more than steel. The brass thus becomes
longer than the steel for the same temperature range.
Hence, the bimetallic strip bends with brass on the outside of the curve as shown above.
On cooling, the brass contracts more than steel. It therefore becomes shorter than steel
and thus ends up being on the inner side of the curve as shown in (c) above

How is bimetallic strip used in fire alarm?

When a fire occurs, the heat would cause the bimetallic strip in the fire alarm to
bend. This would close circuits that allow currents to flow and activate the fire alarm.

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QUESTION: With the aid of diagrams, describe how a bimetallic switch is used in a
thermostat to regulate temperature.

Thermal expansion of liquids

The molecules of liquids are free to move in all directions within the liquid. On heating a
liquid, the average vibration of its molecules increases. The molecules push each other and
need more space to occupy. This accounts for the expansion of the liquid when heated. The
thermal expansion in liquids is greater than solids due to the weak forces between their
molecules. Therefore, the magnitude of volume expansion of liquids is greater than solids.

Demonstration of Expansion in Liquids

Take a flask completely filled with coloured water, with a glass tube inserted in it
throughh a cork.
The initial (original) level of liquid in glass tube will be at A.
Place the flask in a beaker containing boiling water.
It is observed that first the level of water drops to B and then rises to C. The fall in the
level of the liquid is because initially only the glass tube, being in direct contact with the
water bath (hot water), expands; but not the water.
However, the level of liquid rises to C, when liquid starts expanding. Thus, this
experiment proves that:
1. Liquids expand on heating.
2. Liquids expand more than solids for the same rise in temperature.
Since BC > AB, liquids expand more than solids for the same rise in temperature.

When the water in a flask is heated, it rises in the glass tube indicating that water has
expanded on heating. When the water is allowed to cool, then after some time, the level

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in the glass tube falls and reaches the initial (original) level at room temperature. This
indicates that water contracts on cooling.

Thermal Expansion of Gases

- Gases expand when heated just like solids and liquids. This is because the average kinetic
energy of the molecules in a gas is directly proportional to the absolute temperature of
the gas. Heating the gas increases the kinetic energy of its molecules, making them vibrate
more vigorously and occupy more space.
- Refer to notes on ‘Gas laws.’

Demonstration of thermal expansion of gases

The water in the water bath is boiled. When the bottle fitted with a deflated balloon is
placed in the water bath, the balloon gets inflated after some time. This is because the air
inside the bottle expands on heating and gets filled in the balloon. When the bottle is
taken out of the water bath and allowed to cool, the balloon deflates back after some
time. This is because the air inside the bottle contracted on cooling.

Everyday applications and consequences of thermal expansion

Applications of Thermal Expansion
 Opening a tight metal lid on a glass jar: To open the lid of a bottle jar that is tight enough,
immerse in it hot water for a minute or so. Metal cap expands and becomes loose. It
would now be easy to turn it to open.
 The mercury or alcohol in thermometers expands or contracts in response to changes in
temperature.
 Riveting: Metal plates in ships are joined together using rivets. The rivet is fitted when
hot and then hammered flat. On cooling, it contracts pulling the two metal sheets firmly
together.
 Fitting the steel tyres to the steel wheels of a train.

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The wheels of trains are fitted with steel tyres, which are renewed from time to time
owing to wear.
To ensure a tight fit the tyre is made slightly smaller in diameter than the wheel. Before
being fitted the tyre is heated uniformly by gas burners. The tyre expands and slips easily
over the wheel, and on cooling it contracts and makes a tight fit.
 Use of bimetallic strip as a switch in fire alarms and thermostats.
The bimetallic strip is made of two metal strips, stuck together. One of the metals
expands much more than the other when they are heated. This causes the strip to bend.
A bi-metallic strip can be used as a sensor in a thermostat or a switch in a fire alarm.
When the strip starts to get hot, it will bend, and can be used as a switch which either
closes or opens a circuit as it bends to or away from a contact.

Consequences (Disadvantages) of Thermal Expansion of Solids

1. Overhead electricity and telephone wires are loosely fixed on poles to allow for
contraction and expansion.
During cold weather the wires contract and become taut (tight) and when it is warm they
expand and sag.
The overhead wires may contract and snap (break) during winters and may sag too low in
summer due to expansion.

2. Cracks in the road when the road expands on heating.

3. One end of a steel bridge is fixed on pillars but the other end is placed on rollers to allow
for expansion and contraction without damaging the pillars.
4. Tyre bursts on hot days when air in tyre expands due to thermal expansion and pressure
inside tyre increases.
5. Gaps are left between rails to allow for expansion. If these gaps are not provided then
during hot weather the rails buckle, bend and cause derailment of the train leading to
serious accidents and destruction.

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6. Excessive expansion on very hot days can cause concrete and pavement tiles to crack.
Therefore, expansion gaps are left between concrete slabs and pavement tiles to provide
space for the concrete and tiles to expand without any damage.
7. Glass is a poor conductor of heat. When hot liquid is poured in a glass tumbler, the inner
surface becomes hot and the outer surface is at room temperature. Therefore, the inner
surface of the tumbler expands more than the outer surface. This uneven expansion
results in cracking of the tumbler.
Therefore, most home and laboratory glassware is made of special glass that expands and
contracts very little and so does not crack when heated or cooled.

8. Expansion joints on bridge decks (roadways) shaped like interlocking combs allow for
expansion and contraction so that the bridge is not damage by forces set up by expansion
or contraction.

9. Steam pipes and oil pipelines are fitted with loops called expansion bends to allow the
pipes to expand and contract without any damage or bursting.

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Anomalous Expansion of Water

- Substances expand on heating and contract on cooling. However, water, silver iodide
and silica are exceptions. These substances contract on heating and expand on cooling
within a specific range of temperature. This is called anomalous expansion.
- When water at 0°C is heated, it is observed that it contracts in the range 0–4°C. Beyond
4°C, it expands normally. Similarly, when it is cooled from 4°C to 0°C, it expands.
- The expansion of water when it is cooled from 4°C to 0°C is known as anomalous
expansion of water.
 Question: Explain the applications of the anomalous expansion of water.
 Answer: Water in lakes and ponds usually freezes in winter. Ice, being less dense floats
on the water. This insulates the water below against heat loss to the cold air above.
Water at 4 OC being most dense, remains at the bottom of the lake, while ice, being less
dense than water floats on the layers of water. This enables aquatic plants and animals to
survive in the water below the ice.

TRY THESE QUESTIONS

1. The picture below shows a metal ball and ring apparatus. The ring was big enough for
the ball to pass through at the start of the experiment.

What should be done to the metal ball and ring apparatus to prevent the ball from
passing through the ring?

A. The ring should be dipped into hot water

B. The ball should be dipped into cold water.
C. The ring should be heated over a Bunsen burner
D. The ball should be heated over a Bunsen burner

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2. A bimetallic strip was made of 2 pieces of different metal, brass and steel, bonded
together as shown below.

The initially straight bimetallic strip was then heated evenly in an oven for ten minutes.
Given that brass expands more than steel, which one of the following diagrams shows the
bimetallic strip after it had been heated?

3. Describe the ball and ring experiment that demonstrates expansion and contraction
in solids.

Procedure
1. Obtain a ball and ring apparatus.
2. Pass the ball through the ring at room temperature and observe that it easily slips
through.
3. Heat the ball using a Bunsen burner for one minute.
4. Try to pass the ball through the ring and observe what happens.
5. Let it cool for some time and try passing the ball again.

Discussion
When the ball is heated it expands and increases in diameter. This makes the ball not
to pass through the ring. After cooling it is found that the ball slips through the ring
easily again.

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