热冲击（英语：Thermal shock）:热辐射使物体受到局部快速加热；称为受到热冲击。结果是，由于物体各部温度升高速度不同；膨胀程度也不同；故其内部产生应变和应力；有些应力可超过脆性固体的强度，而使它断裂。热膨胀系数大的玻璃器皿，局部受热而破裂是一典型例子。

热冲击使物体所产生应力差别大的原因有二：1.物体局部受热速度过快；2.物体的热膨胀系数大。因而，想避免受热冲击导致物体破裂的主要方法有三个方面：1.避免受热冲击；使物体缓慢而均匀受热；2.选用热膨胀系数小的物体；3.选用强度高热导好的材料。

Thermal shock occurs when a thermal gradient causes different parts of an object to expand by different amounts. This differential expansion can be understood in terms of stress or of strain, equivalently. At some point, this stress can exceed the strength of the material, causing a crack to form. If nothing stops this crack from propagating through the material, it will cause the object's structure to fail.