3D FEM Modeling of the Coil Ends of the LHC Main Dipole

A 3D finite element mechanical model has been developed to simulate the complex geometry of the extremities of the coils for the LHC main dipoles. The final aim is to evaluate the possible impact of coil defects on quench performances. In this paper we describe the first part of the work that has been carried out. This covers an analysis of the contribution of the mechanical properties of the different materials to the rigidity of the coil heads and the experimental validation of the model. For such validation we compared the computed stiffness with the values observed during production measurements in industry. The numerical results are in good agreement with the measured; some discrepancies in the intermediate zone of the end point out also in which direction the modeling should be refined.