The measurement of friction coefficient down to 1.8 K for LHC Magnets

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) proposed for construction at CERN consists of a series of high field superconducting dipole magnet operating at 1.8K. The mechanical structure of these magnets contains many components in close contact. A knowledge of the friction coefficient between these components is required. Indeed, during assembly and cool down of the magnets, prestresses must be transferred to the superconducting coils. During operation, frictional heating may provoke loss of superconductivity. A machine has been built at CERN to measure the coefficient of friction from room temperature down to 1.8K. This paper describes the cryogenic tribometer and the results collected to date.