Coupled Analysis of Electromagnetic, Thermo-mechanical Effects on RF Accelerating Structures

One of the main problems to the designer of RF structures used in particle accelerators is to estimate their sensitivity to thermo-mechanical effects. These parameters are the basis for the choice of the tuning strategy and for the determination of the feedback architecture. We explored the possibility of using ANSYS [1] to perform such simulations in a single environment. Some examples of the most common problems of interaction between electromagnetic fields and thermo-mechanical effects are presented and, when possible, compared to measurements. Problems encountered are outlined.