A stainless steel (304) bar with a cross section of 0.2" x 0.4" is cut to a length of 30" and placed between two immovable walls at a temperature of 40 degrees F. The operating temperature for the bar is 200 degrees F. The distance between the walls is 2.5ft.
a) Calculate the compressive normal stress in the bar.
b) What force will the bar exert on the restraining walls?
c) If the temperature were reduced to -40 degrees F, what would the clearance between the bar and the restraining walls be?