Realworld
problems
caused by expanding solids:
rails and bridges expand in hot
weather, which can cause them to
buckle or break. Railway engineers leave
gaps between sections of rail, which gives
the sections room to expand and also gives
trains their characteristic ‘clickety clack’ noise
when their wheels run over the gaps. Similarly,
bridges can be built in sections, connected
by expandable joints; the 18 km
Storebæltsbroen (Great Belt Bridge)
in Denmark can expand by 4.7
m in hot weather!