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CTE

CTE

8.7
A number showing how much a material expands when it gets hotter
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : coeficiente de expansión térmica
  • When designing structures, engineers must consider the CTE of various materials to ensure stability under temperature changes.

Examples

  • The CTE of aluminum is higher than that of steel, which can lead to issues in metal joining at different temperatures.

  • This type of analysis is very important for understanding the effects on comb assembly distortion caused by relationships among the material coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), the coefficient of friction, and the temperature.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Manufacturers often provide the CTE value on materials data sheets to help engineers select the right materials for thermal applications.

Synonyms

coefficient of expansion
vsCTE
  • Specialized
7.6

A number showing how much a material grows or shrinks for each degree of temperature change

is the specific quantitative measure of how materials change with temperature
expansivity
vsCTE
  • Specialized
9.8

How much a material grows when it gets hotter

expresses the same change but as a single numeric value per temperature degree

Surface Forms

CTE singular
CTEs plural

Etymology

CTE in science names the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion, a number that says how much a material 'expands' or gets bigger with 'heat', so engineers use the CTE to know how parts will change size when they warm up.