What term describes excessive heat or cold causing intolerable expansion, contraction, weakening, or consumption of the container and its parts?

The term that best describes excessive heat or cold leading to intolerable expansion, contraction, weakening, or consumption of the container and its parts is thermal stress. Thermal stress occurs when temperature changes cause materials to expand or contract, which can create internal forces within the structure of the container. If these forces exceed the material's strength, it can lead to various issues such as cracking, warping, or eventual failure of the container itself.

Understanding thermal stress is vital in hazardous material operations since containers often hold substances that are sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Proper management and awareness of thermal stress can be crucial in maintaining the integrity of storage and transport systems for hazardous materials, preventing leaks or accidents.

The other terms, while related to material properties, do not capture the specific impact of temperature variations on the structural integrity of containers as precisely as thermal stress does. For instance, physical fatigue refers to the weakening of a material due to repeated stress cycles rather than solely temperature influence. Cyclic degradation involves the repeated application of stress over time which may relate to various forms of wear but does not specifically denote temperature effects. Material failure generally refers to the ultimate result of stresses, including but not limited to thermal stress, without pinpointing the cause as temperature extremes.