Influence of the surface treatment of the CMS conductor on its adhesion properties at 300 K and 4.2 K

In the 4 T, 12.5 m long, 6 m bore diameter superconducting solenoid for the compact muon solenoid (CMS) experiment at large hadron collider (LHC), the interfaces between the insulation and the conductor or the external cylinder are subjected to high shear forces during the cool down to 4.5 K and the operation phase up to 4 T. Due to the conductive cooling of the coil, the bonding at the different interfaces is a critical point, which is directly related to the quality of the surfaces. The influence of the surface treatment of the conductor on its adhesion properties has been studied at room temperature and in liquid helium at 4.2 K, using a shear force measurement procedure developed in our lab or a peeling test with tape. This paper presents the experimental results obtained on samples treated with solvent cleaning, sandblasting or anodic oxidation under four different sets of experimental conditions, then wrapped with glass tape and impregnated under vacuum. The robustness of the anodic oxidation process, as well as the effect of ageing a few months before impregnation is shown. (3 refs).