Design Calculators - Mechanical

This calculator determines the change in length (elongation or contraction) of a material due to temperature changes, and estimates thermal stress if the material's expansion is constrained. It's a fundamental tool for various engineering applications.

Key Inputs:

• Original Length (\(L_0\)): Initial length of the material.
• Initial Temperature (\(T_1\)): Starting temperature of the material.
• Final Temperature (\(T_2\)): Temperature after change.
• Material Type: Selection for common materials to auto-populate properties, or custom input.
• Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (\(\alpha\)): Material property representing its tendency to expand/contract with temperature.
• Young's Modulus (\(E\)): Material property representing its stiffness (required for thermal stress).
• Calculate Thermal Stress (Checkbox): Option to include thermal stress calculation.

Calculated Outputs:

• Temperature Change (\(\Delta T\)): Difference between final and initial temperatures.
• Change in Length (\(\Delta L\)): The elongation (positive) or contraction (negative) of the material.
• Final Length (\(L_f\)): The length of the material after the temperature change.
• Thermal Stress (\(\sigma_t\)): The stress developed if expansion is fully constrained (only if selected).