Zylon-reinforced high magnetic field coils for the KU Leuven pulsed field laboratory

PBO Zylon (R) fibers have been used for the internal reinforcement of pulse d magnets. Due to the very high packing density (80%) of these fibers, vacu um impregnation of Zylon reinforced coils is difficult. Impregnation test w ere performed using pressure-vacuum impregnation and wet winding. A prototy pe series of coils for 60-70 T with 1-2 ms pulse duration was designed and wound, using wet winding for both the internal Zylon and external carbon fi ber reinforcement. Special precautions were taken to avoid insulation break down at the transitions between conductor layers. Furthermore, axial moveme nt of the conductor wires was restrained by strong axial compression of the coil with a steel shell casing. These modifications were incorporated into an 80 T coil made of Zylon and soft Cu. The design, construction and perfo rmance of this coil are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All right s reserved.