Deflection of the Alveolar Crystal Support Structures in the CMS ECAL Endcap Calorimeter

The results of a series of Finite Element Analyses are presented for the deflections under load of the alveolar units proposed to support the ECAL Endcap crystals. The analyses were carried out in 1997 and have been used to predict the strength of the current alveolar unit design. The current design, with a 5x5 array and 30x30 mm2 crystals, is predicted to have a deflection of 13 microns under gravitational load, which is within the target design of 30 microns.