Which of the following is a Transient Load due to temperature gradient?

• A. Force effects due to creep
• B. Force due to temperature gradient
• C. Downdrag force
• D. Force effects due to shrinkage

Answer: (B)

Nonuniform temperature across a member makes different layers or sections expand by different amounts. If the structure restrains this differential movement, internal forces arise to keep compatibility, and those forces evolve as the temperature gradient changes. That time-varying, gradient-driven force is what is meant by a transient load due to temperature gradient.

So the best choice is the force produced directly by the temperature gradient, since it captures the-time dependent nature of the load generated by differential heating or cooling. The other items describe different phenomena: creep-related effects come from sustained mechanical loads over time, downdrag is an soil-pile interaction effect, and shrinkage is a moisture/volume-change process not tied to a changing temperature gradient.