During the last two years, nine 4‐cm aperture, 17‐m‐long dipole magnet prototypes were produced by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) under contact with the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) Laboratory These prototypes are the last phase of a half‐decade‐long R&D program, carried out in collaboration with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of the SSC main‐ring dipole magnets They also lay the groundwork for the 5‐cm‐aperture dipole magnet program now underway After reviewing the design features of the BNL 4‐cm‐aperture, 17‐m‐long dipole magnets, we describe in detail the various steps of their fabrication For each step, we discuss the paramaters that need to be mastered, and we compare the values that were achieved for the nine most recent prototypes The data appear coherent and reproducible, demonstrating that the assembly process is under control We then analyze the mechanical behavior of these magnets during cooldown and excitation, and we attempt to relate this behavior to the magnet features The data reveal that the mechanical behavior is sensitive to the collar‐yoke interference and that the magnets exhibit somewhat erratic changes in coil end‐loading during cooldown

About the mechanics of SSC dipole magnet prototypes

Four full-scale SSC (Superconducting Super Collider) research and development dipole magnets, incorporating successive mechanical design improvements, have been quench-tested. Three of the magnets are heavily instrumented with sensors to measure their mechanical behavior and verify the effectiveness of the mechanical improvements and with multiple voltage taps to locate the origin of quenches. The last two magnets of this series reach the SSC design operating field of 6.6 T in two or fewer quenches. Load cells and motion sensors show that in these two magnets the azimuthal clamping stress is higher at zero current and drops more slowly with excitation that in previous long magnets, and that the axial motion of the coil upon excitation has been greatly reduced. Quenches are found to originate preferentially in several locations, suggesting other design improvements. >

Tests of full scale SSC R&D dipole magnets

The test facility used for R&D testing of full scale development dipole magnets for the SSC is described. The Fermilab Magnet Test Facility, originally built for production testing of Tevatron magnets, has been substantially modified to allow testing also of SSC magnets. Two of the original six test stands have been rebuilt to accommodate testing of SSC magnets at pressures between 1.3 Atm and 4 Atm and at temperatures between 1.8 K and 4.8 K and the power system has been modified to allow operation to at least 8 kA. Recent magnets have been heavily instrumented with voltage taps to allow detailed study of quench location and propagation and with strain gage based stress, force and motion transducers. A data acquisition system has been built with a capacity to read from each SSC test stand up to 220 electrical quench signals, 32 dynamic pressure, temperature and mechanical transducer signals during quench and up to 200 high precision, low time resolution, pressure, temperature and mechanical transducer signals. The quench detection and protection systems is also described.

Fermilab r&d test facility for ssc magnets

Results are presented from tests of the third full-scale development dipole magnet for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) and from a retest of a 4.5-m model magnet of the same design mounted in an SSC cryostat. The 4.5-m magnet showed consistent quench performance between its original tests in boiling liquid helium in a vertical dewar and the current tests in forced-flow helium in a horizontal cryostat. Little or no retraining was observed over several thermal cycles. The full-length magnet required 12 quenches to train to its short-sample limit of 6800 A and displayed a reasonably stable quench plateau following training. Data are presented on quench behavior as a function of current and temperature, and on azimuthal and longitudinal loading of the coil by the support structure. >

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Tests of prototype SSC magnets

Author(s): Devred, A.; Bush, T.; Coombes, R.; DiMarco, J.; Goodzeit, D.; Kuzminski, J.; Puglisi, M.; Radusewicz, P.; Sanger, P.; Schermer, R.; Spigo, G.; Tompkins, J.; Turner, J.; Wolf, Z.; Yu, Y.; Zheng, H.; Ogitsu, T.; Anerella, M.; Cottingham, J.; Ganetis, G.; Garber, M.; Ghosh, A.; Greene, A.; Gupta, R.; Herrera, J.; Kahn, S.; Kelly, E.; Meade, A.; Morgan, G.; Muratore, J.; Prodell, A.; Rehak, M.; Rohrer, E.P.; Sampson, W.; Shutt, R.; Thompson, P.; Wanderer, P.; Willen, E.; Bleadon, M.; Hanft, R.; Kuchnir, M.; Mantsch, P.; Mazur, P.O.; Orris, D.; Peterson, T.; Strait, J.; Royet, J.M.; Scanlan, R.M.; Taylor, C.

Status of 4-CM-Aperture, 17-M-Long SSC Dipole Magnet R&D Program at BNL. Part II: Mechanical Behavior

Results are presented from tests of the first full length prototype SSC dipole magnet. The cryogenic behavior of the magnet during a slow cooldown to 4.5K and a slow warmup to room temperature has been measured. Magnetic field quality was measured at currents up to 2000 A. Averaged over the body field all harmonics with the exception of b 2 and b 8 are at or within the tolerances specified by the SSC Central Design Group. (The values of b 2 and b 8 result from known design and construction defects which will be corrected in later magnets.) Using an NMR probe the average body field strength is measured to be 10.283 G/A with point to point variations on the order of one part in 1000. Data are presented on quench behavior of the magnet up to 3500 A (approximately 55% of full field) including longitudinal and transverse velocities for the first 250 msec of the quench.

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S. B. Khan

Papers

Full length prototype SSC dipole test results