Michael F. Adamson wrote:
> When materials get cold, ice is an exception, they shrink. The atoms
> occupy less space due to their decreased activity. Holes in material
> become larger. A piece of material, say a piston, becomes smaller
> therefore increased clearances.
That's the simple part (the piston that is)... now... take a hole in a
large piece of material. Does it get larger or smaller due to shrinkage
when cold? My memories of a materials class I had a few years ago tell
me that the hole will get bigger because the material shrinks back
toward the center of mass, not towards the empty space in the middle.
Anyone have a more definitive answer than my half-remembered and
possibly wrong memories?
Regards,
Chris
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