Thermal Stress Calculator: Stress, Strain, Force and Expansion

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Select a preset to auto-fill Young's modulus and expansion coefficient, or choose Custom to enter your own.
Stiffness of the material. Auto-filled for preset materials; override as needed.
GPa
Linear coefficient of thermal expansion. Expressed in microstrain per degree. Auto-filled for preset materials.
10⁻⁶ /°C
Positive for heating, negative for cooling. The sign determines whether stress is compressive or tensile.
°C
Original (unstressed) length of the member. Used to calculate free thermal expansion.
mm
Cross-sectional area of the member. Used to calculate axial thermal force in a fully constrained member.
mm²
100% = fully fixed ends (maximum stress). 0% = totally free (no stress). Intermediate values scale stress and force proportionally.
%
Thermal stressModerate stress
192

Stress developed in the fully or partially constrained member

Stress unitMPa
Thermal strain0.00096
Thermal force38.4
Force unitkN
Free thermal expansion0.48
Expansion unitmm
Young's modulus (MPa)200,000
CTE (per K)0.000012
Temperature change (K)80
Thermal stress (|value|)192
Thermal strain ×10⁶0.00096
Thermal force (|value|)38.4

Thermal stress is 192.00 MPa for a 80 °C change.

  • The 192.00 MPa thermal stress is compressive (heating pushes against constraints).
  • Thermal strain is 960.0 microstrain (0.000960 dimensionless).
  • The axial reaction force in the constrained member is 38.40 kN.
  • If the ends were free, the member would elongate by 0.4800 mm.

Next stepStress is moderate. Verify that the calculated stress remains below the material's allowable working stress for the operating temperature.

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