Yes, your example does make sense. Metal does expand at the same amount per inch in all directions. You bring up an interesting point. If a stick of welded rail wanted to grow 3 ft. longer by increasing the temperature, and if you physically restrained it from growing longer, the volume of that 3 ft. of rail would be added to the whole stick, thus making it a little fatter in every dimension of the cross section over its entire length. Interestingly, it would make the track gage a little narrower because the railheads would get a little wider.
[:-^] Bucyrus;with the narrowing of the gauge cause the wheel squeal and popping sound? The laws of Physics can not be denied can they .
Respectfully, Cannonball
The narrowing of the gage would not be enough to matter. But the most important point is that rail will stretch like rubber. And if you can constrain it side-to-side, and top-to-bottom, it can be compressed as though you were compressing a coil spring.
This is not apparent because when you look at a short sick of rail, it does not seem like it would be able to stretch and compress. But without this elasticity, it would be impossible to accommodate the thermal expansion and shrinkage in welded rail without using a long mechanical slip joint.
But even with the elasticity, if it streches too far, it will break and pull apart, and if it compresses too far, it will buckle.
Many of you are probably aware of the coal train derailment on the UP New Line in the Chicago area a few weeks back. A retired couple was driving under the bridge at that moment and were killed by the falling cars and debris. A wrongful death suit has been filed, claiming that UP did not properly maintain the line in question. The lawsuit specifically discredits the existence and occurrence of sun kinks.
I wonder why, and on what basis. The lawsuit must believe that sun kinks would be considered an act of God, and therefore would exonerate the U.P. Do you have a link to the theory of cause put forth by the lawsuit?
God and the sun don’t have bank accounts.