Thermo-Physical and Mechanical Characterisation of Novel Materials under Development for HL-LHC Beam Intercepting Devices

The collimation system for high energy particle accelerators as HL-LHC, must be designed to withstand the close interaction with intense and energetic particle beams, safely operating over an extended range of temperatures in extreme conditions (pressure, strain-rate, radiation), which are to become more demanding with the High Luminosity LHC. In order to withstand such conditions, the candidate materials must possess among other properties outstanding thermal shock resistance and high thermal and electrical conductivity, condition only met by advanced or novel materials. Therefore, an extensive R&D; program has been launched to develop novel materials capable of replacing or complementing materials used for present collimators. So far, Molybdenum Carbide - Graphite and Copper-Diamond composites have been identified as the most promising materials. Literature data are scarce or non-existing for these materials. For this reason the successive characterisation campaigns constitute a linchpin of the R&D; program. This paper reviews the experimental program followed for the thermo-physical and mechanical characterisation of the materials, and discusses the most relevant results.