The concrete sections of a certain superhighway are designed to have a length of 26.0 m. The sections are poured and cured at 10.0°C. What minimum spacing should the engineer leave between the sections to eliminate buckling if the concrete is to reach a temperature of 45.0°C? (Note: If applicable, Table 1 is available for use in solving this problem.)
ANSWER in cm
To determine the minimum spacing between the concrete sections, we need to consider the thermal expansion of the concrete as it heats up from 10.0°C to 45.0°C.
The formula for thermal expansion is given by:
ΔL = α * L * ΔT
Where:
ΔL is the change in length of the concrete section
α is the coefficient of linear expansion of concrete
L is the initial length of the concrete section
ΔT is the change in temperature
First, let's find the change in temperature:
ΔT = final temperature - initial temperature
ΔT = 45.0°C - 10.0°C
ΔT = 35.0°C
Next, we need the coefficient of linear expansion for concrete. Assuming it's not provided in the problem, we can refer to Table 1, if available, to find the coefficient of linear expansion for concrete at the given temperature range.
Once we have the coefficient of linear expansion (let's assume it to be α), we can proceed with the calculations.
Now, let's calculate the change in length of the concrete section:
ΔL = α * L * ΔT
ΔL = α * 26.0 m * 35.0°C
Once we have the change in length, we can calculate the minimum spacing between the concrete sections by adding the change in length to the initial length and converting it to centimeters:
Minimum spacing = (26.0 m + ΔL) * 100 cm/m
The final answer will be the minimum spacing between the sections in centimeters.