Question

A concrete sidewalk is constructed between two buildings on a day when the temperature is 25 0C. The sidewalk is 6 m long and consists of two slabs each 3 m in length and of negligible thickness. What would be amount of buckling (displacement) upwards that will occur in the slabs if the temperature increases to 38 0C. Assume that the buildings don’t move and the slabs move directly upwards from the joint when they expand.