Coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch is a common risk when parts with dissimilar materials are attached together through adhesives, welding or fasteners. They expand or contract at different rates at high or low temperatures, which leads to excessive stress. The risk of CTE mismatch is particularly high when the tight tolerance is required or the parts is expected to experience large number of extreme thermal cycling. Through leveraging simulation tools, we have the experiences to quantify the risk and identify mitigation through material selection, geometry optimization, and introduction of balancing part.
