Use the Thermal Expansion subnode to add an internal thermal strain caused by changes in temperature. The thermal strain depends on the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE)
α, the temperature
T, and the strain-free reference temperature
Tref as
The Volume reference temperature Tref is the temperature at which there are no thermal strains. As a default, the value is obtained from a
Common model input. You can also select
User defined to enter a value or expression for the temperature locally.
The Temperature,
T, input is not used. All temperature information is taken from the inputs in the
Thermal Expansion Properties section. This field will, for formal reasons, be visible in the GUI indicating when the selected material has a temperature dependent coefficient of thermal expansion.
From the Coefficient of thermal expansion α list, select
From material to use the coefficient of thermal expansion from a material, or
User defined to enter a value or expression for
α. When
From material is used, then you need to specify which material to use by selecting a
Pipe material. This list contains all materials present in the component, as well as the default choice
Edge material. When
Edge material is selected, the material currently assigned to the edge (2D: boundary) is used.
Physics tab with Fluid and Pipe Materials node selected in the model tree: