What Does
Thermal Shock Resistant Mean?
A material that is thermal shock resistant has the ability to resist rapid and sudden changes in temperature.
A common situation that produces a thermal shock in a material is a temperature or thermal gradient, which causes random expansions at various points within the material. This creates areas of stress and strain acting on the material at multiple points during its operation, rendering it susceptible to fracturing and potentially unsafe.
Corrosionpedia Explains Thermal Shock Resistant
Thermal shock resistance is the property of a material that makes it resistant to sudden and rapid temperature changes. Materials having high thermal shock resistance properties are able to withstand wide temperature variations.
Thermal shocks are generated when materials are operated inefficiently or possess certain defects. This causes stresses and strains acting at multiple locations in the material, causing the temperature at these locations to drastically increase and rendering the material subject to failure at any point in time.
The stresses generated due to thermal shock are determined by multiplying the Young’s modulus (the coefficient of thermal expansion) and the temperature difference between the interior and the surface of the material.
A superior material that has very high thermal shock resistance is silicon nitride, which can be heated to 550°C (1022°F) and then rapidly cooled by placing it in water. This quality of silicon nitride makes it a preferred material.