CST 107

BUILDING SCIENCE
David Mensah, Ph.D.
Building Technology Department
Cape Coast Technical University
EXPANSION OF LIQUIDS
• The expansion of a liquid on heating can be shown experimentally.
• To do this a round-bottom flask, which is heat resisting, is filled with
cold water and fitted with a rubber stopper, through which passes a
length of glass tubing, with the water-level rising into the tubing.
• The bulb of the flask is then immersed in hot water and the level of
water in the tubing observed.
• At first the water level will fall slightly due to the expansion of the
flask, but the water level will rise to show the greater expansion of
the water.
• On cooling the level will return to the original position. (The water
may be coloured to facilitate observation)
• This experiment can be conducted using different liquids. The thermal
expansion of water is unique.
• When water is heated from freezing point (0°C), it first contracts until
it reaches a temperature of 4°C.
• It then expands at a gradually increasing rate until it reaches boiling
point (100°C).
• This means water has a maximum density at 4°C, and its expansion
coefficient is not constant.
• When water is cooled it contract until it reaches 4°C.
• Further cooling (below 4°C) will cause it to expand until it freezes.
Further cooling below freezing point will cause considerable
expansion.
• The table below shows cubical expansion coefficients for water and
other liquids.
Liquid Coefficient of cubical expansion per deg. celcius

Water  
4 - 20°C 0.00013
20 - 40°C 0.00030
40 - 60°C 0.00045
60 - 80°C 0.00059
80 - 100°C 0.00068
Mercury 0.00018
Alcohol (Ethane) 0.00108
Turpentine 0.00096
Paraffin oil 0.00090
EXPANSION OF GASES
• When a gas is subjected to a variation of temperature it expands or
contracts.
• That is a gas will expand when heated and contract when cooled.
Unlike solids and liquids, thermal expansion behavior of gases is the
same, and they have the same cubical coefficient of expansion
(0.00366 per degree celcuis), when initially at 0°C.
• For a different initial temperature a different value applies.
• For very approximate calculations of the expansion of gases at
constant pressure, an average value of 0.0035 per degree celcuis may
be used, irrespective of the initial temperature.
• This is referred to as the coefficient of dilation, rather than coefficient
of expansion.
EXAMPLE
• Determine the approximate volume of air which would be expelled
from a room measuring 10m x 4m x 2.5m, if the room temperature
were raised from 17°C to 27°C, assuming constant pressure
(coefficient of dilation of air 0.0035/°C)
• Solution
Expansion (approximate)
= Original Volume x Temperature rise x coefficient of
dilation
= (10 x 4 x 2.5) m3 x (27-17) °C x 0.0035/°C
= 3.5m3
• The behavior of gases when heated can be shown with the flask and
glass tube.
• The bulb of the empty flask is first heated by being immersed in hot
water. The flask is then inverted, and the end of the tubing
submerged in water.
• As the air inside the flask cools it contracts, drawing water up into the
glass tubing.
• The coefficient of cubic expansion of a gas is the amount by which
unit volume of the gas at 10°C increase when the temperature is
increased 1 degree, the pressure remaining constant.
 COMMENTS
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