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Login with my Xometry account Thermal expansion modelling for a braced rectangular steel tank
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hi, for a welded steel coolant reservoir for a test stand – 4 m × 2 m × 1.5 m with internal bracing I need to account for thermal expansion. Fluid runs at 80–90 °C and then drops to ambient. Before I build load cases for the shell and stiffeners, how detailed must the thermal input be? In practice, do you assume a uniform ΔT and check self-straining forces, or do rectangular tanks with internal bracing usually require a more detailed temperature distribution/FEA?
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