Author(s)

Zdzisław Pluta, Tadeusz Hryniewicz

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering , Politechnika Koszalińska, Koszalin, Poland.

The work covers a novel approach to the description of the phenomenon of thermal expansion of solids. The reason for undertaking the scientific quest is presented to follow with the analysis of existing knowledge on the characteristics of phenomenon of thermal expansion of bodies being in the state of aggregation. A critical approach to the existing law of the linear thermal expansion is given. The paper presents an adequate approach to this considered phenomenon. The description provides parametric and functional characteristics of this phenomenon. The relationships of the coefficients of linear expansion on temperature for particular interstate zones, as well as the initial coefficients related to these zones, are presented. In the summary a synthesis of all actions and considerations with the directions to the adequate knowledge with advantage on the subjected phenomenon has been performed. It regards also to the latest thermal characteristics of solids, referred to the phase transformations. All they are realized by dilatometric studies together with determination of curves of thermal expansions of solids.

Thermal Expansion; Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion; Relative Length Increment; Temperature Constant; Temperature Potential Field; Deformation Potential Field; Nominal Potential Field; Deformation-Temperature Space

Z. Pluta and T. Hryniewicz, "Thermal Expansion of Solids," Journal of Modern Physics, Vol. 3 No. 8, 2012, pp. 793-802. doi: 10.4236/jmp.2012.38104.