Control of the Geometrical Conformity of the LHC Installation with a Single Laser Source

A large and complex accelerator like LHC machine needs to integrate several thousand different components in a relatively limited space. During the installation, those components are installed in successive phases, always aiming to leave the necessary space available for the equipment which will follow. To help ensure the correct conditions for the installation, the survey team uses a laser scanner to measure specific areas and provides this data, merged together in a known reference system, to the integration team who compare the results with the 3D CAD models. This paper describes the tools and software used to rebuild underground zones in the CATIA environment, to check interferences or geometrical non conformities, as well as the procedures defined to solve the identified problems.