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Q: Why do some bridges have metal plates that can expand and contract in the summer or winter?
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Why do concrete slabs have space between them?

Those are expansion joints. During the changing seasons with varying temperatures, the slabs expand and contract. The spaces allow the slabs to expand without cracking the concrete.


Why do telegraph wires sag more in summer than in winter?

Sagging Power LinesIn the summer, power lines warm up with the weather. Since materials expand when they get warm, the power lines stretch out and sag. The opposite happens in the winter, as the power lines get colder, they contract. Also, in the summer the electrical load on the line is generally greater. This in turn causes increased temperature and can lead to the line sagging.


When will a telephone wire be longer summer or winter?

When metals (like the copper in the telephone wires) gets exposed to heat, they expand (thermal expansion) and when the get cooled they shrink. This directly implies that cables are longer in summer when it is hot. So telephone wires are longer in the summer.


Why do bicycle tires lose more air in the winter than in summer?

actually bicycle tire or for that matter any kind of tire does lose air, the heat in the summer causes the air in the tires to expand. That's why is not a good idea to fill your tires to the max in the summer time.


What is the effect on battery capacity at very low ambient temperature?

this has an effect as it more likely to fail in the winter as in the summer, this is because the electrons has difficultly to pass through the plates, as the electrolyte is nearly freezing.

Related questions

Why does the Eiffel tower grow in summer?

The heat from the Sun causes the metal framework of the tower to expand slightly. The same happens to any exposed metal structure - including bridges. That's why bridges have an 'expansion gap' at each end.


Will an aluminum door expand in the summer or winter?

It will expand in Summer as the heat makes the aluminum molecules move faster causing them to expand


Why are wires hung loosely in summer?

beacuse is good


Why is it important to take thermal expansion into account when buliding bridges?

because in the summer, its hot and the bridge will expand and if you dont have enough room to expand the bridge will crack under pressure and in the winter the bridge may shrink a bit and might also crack. hope it helps :)


What is the purpose of the gaps in train tracks?

Expanding on other previous answers:Tracks have gap because metal needs space to expand and contract. In summer the tracks tend to expand (heat leads to expansion). And in winter, tracks tend to contract.If no gaps were left than the two bars of metal will fight to expand and lead to cracks in the rail. This is the same reason why you see perfectly spaced cracks or divisions in sidewalks, bridges, parking garages, and buildings.Ultimately, tracks have gap for safe expansion of the metal.Read more: Why_do_tracks_have_gaps


Why do concrete slabs have space between them?

Those are expansion joints. During the changing seasons with varying temperatures, the slabs expand and contract. The spaces allow the slabs to expand without cracking the concrete.


Why are there gaps between adjoining rails?

The gaps are there to allow for expansion and contraction. In cold weather the rails will contract leaving gaps between the rails. In warm weather the rails will expand and the gaps will disappear. The ride in summer or winter probably would not change, because when the gaps disappear, there could be a difference in elevation, but not enough to cause a problem.


Why do they put flexible connections in the road on a bridge?

They put flexible connections in the road on a bridge because scientifically speaking, when the bridge is heated like when it's summer season, the bridge can move further apart, so in order to hold it, they put flexible connections. :)


Why do metallic wires sag in summer?

They expand with heat.


Why is a power line more likely to break in winter than in Summer even if it is loaded with the same weight?

Heat in the summer makes materials expand which make power lines somewhat elastic. During the cold months of winter the power lines contract. The difference of the reaction of the materials during seasons is why a power line is more likely to break in the winter than in the summer bearing the same weight.


Why do telegraph wires sag more in summer than in winter?

Sagging Power LinesIn the summer, power lines warm up with the weather. Since materials expand when they get warm, the power lines stretch out and sag. The opposite happens in the winter, as the power lines get colder, they contract. Also, in the summer the electrical load on the line is generally greater. This in turn causes increased temperature and can lead to the line sagging.


How much does the golden gate bridge expand in the summer?

5