Materials also expand and contract due to changes in temperature. All materials , porous and non-porous, metals, ceramics and organics, are dimensionally unstable under normal conditions. This situation is complicated by the fact that different materials expand and contract at different rates. The simplest and most practical way of dealing with this in your building is to carefully consider the joints between materials and to make provision for the movement. The whole building is composed of parts.
Joints connect the parts.
A change in the live load carried by structural components in a building may result in a dimensional change. This type of situation is particularly likely to occur if there is a change of function of a building. Changes in temperature also result in dimensional changes in materials, and these vary quite considerably between materials. The change in dimension is proportional to the original length and the temperature change. This change in dimension will exert a force on the surrounding materials and this could produce serious problems.