SYSTEMATIC FAILURE TESTING OF INTERNALLY REINFORCED MAGNETS

Internally reinforced pulse magnets provide a useful and relatively ch eap method for obtaining magnetic fields in the 50-75 T range. A serio us shortcoming however is the nature of a magnet failure, being extrem ely destructive to both the magnet and the immediate environment. Desp ite extensive modeling, the accurate prediction of the ultimate field that a particular magnet design will reach or the number of pulses it will undergo, remains difficult due to the number of unknowns about th e thermo-mechanical behavior of the various constituent materials. A s ystematic study of the behavior of pulse magnets is underway at the NH MFL. A number of magnets of identical construction have been tested to failure in an attempt to determine such aspects as reproducibility of failure, modeling code accuracy and insulation integrity at high stre ss levels.