Phenomenon · phenomenon:thermal-expansion
Thermal expansion
Most materials expand when heated. A temperature change becomes a strain or a pressure, the working principle of gas engines, bimetal actuators and gas thermometers.
Atlas record: 4 claims reference this phenomenon — 3 established and 1 demonstrated.
Explorerelations · matrix context · routes · sources · cite
4claims35enumerated routes1routes with complete-composition evidence20candidate routes not searched4cited sources
Relations
drives · 1
produces · 1
- non-uniform thermal expansion is mechanically incompatible across adjacent regions of a solid, or is constrained by an adjoining material or structure, producing a strain or stress gradient; the constraining region may be the cooler part of the same continuous specimen rather than a separate stiffer body
member of · 1
implemented by · 1
- a bimetallic strip that snaps between hot and cold plates as it expands and contracts
Matrix context
D = disequilibrium row · C = coupling family column. A cell reads the state of the atlas for that pair.
Enumerated routes through this · 35 (showing 24)
- Bimetallic-strip piezoelectric harvester5/5 est · demonstrated
- Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Cooling3/4 est · same energy form
- Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Useful heat3/4 est · same energy form
- Thermal-expansion flexoelectric thermopolarization5/5 est · candidate
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Cooling5/6 est · candidate
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Useful heat5/6 est · candidate
- Electric potential difference → Peltier effect → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Cooling5/6 est · candidate
- Electric potential difference → Peltier effect → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Useful heat5/6 est · candidate
- Electric potential difference → Ettingshausen effect → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Cooling5/6 est · candidate
- Electric potential difference → Ettingshausen effect → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Useful heat5/6 est · candidate
- Incident radiation flux → Photothermal absorption → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Cooling5/6 est · candidate
- Incident radiation flux → Photothermal absorption → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Useful heat5/6 est · candidate
- Radiative imbalance with the sky → Radiative sky cooling → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Cooling5/6 est · candidate
- Radiative imbalance with the sky → Radiative sky cooling → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Useful heat5/6 est · candidate
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fission → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Cooling5/6 est · candidate
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fission → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Useful heat5/6 est · candidate
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fusion → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Cooling3/6 est · candidate
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fusion → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Useful heat3/6 est · candidate
- Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Villari effect → Changing magnetic flux → Electromagnetic induction → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastic deformation → Elastic stress → Direct piezoelectric effect → Separated surface charge → Electrical work7/7 est · candidate
- Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Elastocaloric effect → Temporal temperature change → Pyroelectric effect → Separated surface charge → Electrical work7/7 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Direct piezoelectric effect → Separated surface charge → Electrical work7/7 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Flexoelectric effect → Separated surface charge → Electrical work7/7 est · candidate
- Electric potential difference → Peltier effect → Temperature gradient → Thermal expansion → Mechanical stress or strain → Direct piezoelectric effect → Separated surface charge → Electrical work7/7 est · same energy form
Cited sources · 4
- [1]J. Boughaleb et al.. Coupling of a bimetallic strip heat engine with a piezoelectric transducer for thermal energy harvesting (2016)
- [2]J. F. Nye. Physical Properties of Crystals: Their Representation by Tensors and Matrices (1985)
- [3]S. Iwakiri, Y. Miyata, T. Mori. Observation of universal thermopolarization effect in insulators (2026)
- [4]A. Bejan. Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics (4th ed.) (2016)
Cite this entity
Physical Transformation Atlas (2026). entity phenomenon:thermal-expansion: Thermal expansion. Dataset revision rbfbfcbb70e57 (hash of the canonical data). https://physical-transformation-atlas.wldud5192.workers.dev/phenomenon/thermal-expansion
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