GATE CE 2019 Set 1 — Question 22
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Transportation Engineering → Pavement Design → Temperature Stresses
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Question
An isolated concrete pavement slab of length is resting on a frictionless base. The temperature of the top and bottom fibre of the slab are and , respectively. Given: the coefficient of thermal expansion and the elastic modulus . Assuming and the unit weight of concrete as zero, the maximum thermal stress is calculated as
Correct answer
(D) zero
Solution
Thermal stress is only induced in a material when its natural expansion or contraction due to temperature changes is restrained. In this problem:
1.The slab is isolated, meaning there are no restraints from adjacent slabs.
2.It rests on a frictionless base, so there is no restraint to horizontal expansion or contraction.
3.The unit weight is zero, meaning there is no self-weight to restrain the slab from warping (curling) due to the temperature gradient .
Since the slab is free to expand and warp without any restraint, no internal stresses are developed. Therefore, the thermal stress is zero.Continue learning with Success Tracker
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