This month Rock West Composites delivered a large, high-precision, carbon fiber and honeycomb core tube to Purdue University. The structure is the Barrel Timing Layer Tracker Support Tube that is part of an upgrade to CERN's Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), which is a general-purpose detector at the Large Hadron Collider.
SAN DIEGO, March 9, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Rock West Composites (RWC) announces the delivery of the Barrel Timing Layer (BTL) Tracker Support Tube to Purdue University this month. This large carbon fiber sandwich structure destined for CERN was designed by a joint team from Purdue University, led by Dr. Andy Jung and Dr. Ben Denos, and RWC, led by John Marks. The collaborative effort met key performance parameters using the most cost-effective design. The hardware RWC delivered will be integrated with instrumentation from Purdue prior to delivery to CERN.
CERN is the world's leading laboratory for particle physics located near Geneva, Switzerland. The carbon fiber tube supports the heart of the upgraded CMS detector, a "camera" with more than a billion pixels to record proton-proton collisions at the highest ever-made energies and unprecedented resolution. In a few years, once fully commissioned, the upgraded CMS detector is expected to collect 10 times the data recorded so far in the hunt for new particles and aims to understand the origins of the Universe.
The BTL Tracker Support Tube had to be manufactured from materials with extremely low radiation resistance, have a precise circular cylinder structure, be very strong and stiff, and meet an accelerated delivery schedule. Because the final tube had such challenging requirements, traditional tooling or manufacturing approaches would have been unaffordable. Innovative techniques were used, starting with the manufacture of curved, solid laminate arc segments rather than a full cylinder. Precision machined arc segment stiffeners help hold the arcs to strict dimensions once assembled. Low coefficients of thermal expansion are maintained in all 3 directions: radially, circumferentially, and along the length of the tube.
Prior to making the full-scale tube, RWC built a full diameter but much shorter version of the part as a technology demonstrator. RWC was presented with an Industry Gold Award from CERN in 2022 for this effort, and ultimately won the program from Purdue for the full-size hardware due to the success of the demonstration model and its affordability.
The delivered hardware is 5.3-meters long by 2.4-meters in diameter. It is constructed of ultra-high-modulus prepreg and Nomex honeycomb core made with PMT-F6 cyanate ester resin. There are 1680 metallic inserts made of solid carbon epoxy, titanium and stainless steel; and it includes two 110 MSI carbon fiber (K13916/ F6) rails to support scientific instruments. Surface accuracy requirements were tested to 2.4mm cylindricity inhouse before shipment.
John Marks, VP of Product Development, said, "We were excited to take on this challenging program and to know that we will be contributing to the advancement of humanity's understanding the fundamental construct of matter. Our work on the demonstration model and final hardware pushed our team's technical skills to the limit, and we couldn't be prouder of their performance on this program."
About Rock West Composites
Rock West Composites is an employee-owned, advanced composites company. RWC develops, engineers, manufactures, and tests composite products for multiple industries including Aerospace & Defense (radomes, aircraft, and weapon components), Space (bus structures, solar array panels and wings, strut assemblies, launch vehicle structures), and Commercial Equipment (industrial, medical, energy, and sporting). The company is also one of the largest ecommerce suppliers of off-the-shelf carbon fiber tubes, plates, materials, and accessories.
The company's vision is to "make the magic of composite technologies accessible to the world" by executing flawlessly and providing customers a competitive advantage, all while making it easy to buy. Rock West Composites has locations in San Diego, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Baja California, Mexico.
Media Contact
Julia Willis, Rock West Composites, Inc., 1 8585376260 109, [email protected], www.rockwestcomposites.com
SOURCE Rock West Composites, Inc.
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