Thermal expansion and contraction must be considered when designing with ALPOLIC®. To calculate thermal expansion/contraction, use the following equations:
Thermal Expansion/Contraction (inches) = 12 x Cth x ΔT(°F) x L(feet)
Cth = Coefficient of thermal expansion (13 x 10*) Add superscript of -6 after 10.
L = Length of ALPOLIC panel
ΔT = Ta – Ti where Ta is the actual temperature and Ti is the temperature when ALPOLIC was fabricated or installed. A positive ΔT indicates expansion and negative ΔT indicates contraction.
ΔT | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4, 6mm | 0.0016 | 0.0031 | 0.0047 | 0.0062 | 0.0078 | 0.0094 |
ΔT | 70 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 |
4, 6mm | 0.0109 | 0.0125 | 0.0140 | 0.0156 | 0.0172 | 0.0187 |