##  [Thermal Expansion](/thermal-expansion) 

  ##  [Thermal Expansion](https://engineering.quantumdictionary.io/thermal-expansion-0) 

  

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**Engineering & Applied Technologies Dictionary**

 







 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Definition

The reversible or partially reversible change in a structural element's dimensions produced by a change in temperature, represented in the linear case by ΔL = α L ΔT where α is the material's coefficient of thermal expansion, L the original length and ΔT the temperature change; non‑uniform temperature fields, phase changes, creep and nonlinear material response modify this relation.