Overlap Technique for End-Cap Seals on Cylindrical Magnetic Shields

TL;DR

This paper investigates an overlap technique using a magnetic foil to create effective seals at the boundary between cylindrical magnetic shields and end-caps, offering a comparable alternative to traditional direct contact methods.

Contribution

The study introduces and evaluates an overlap foil technique for magnetic sealing, providing a potentially simpler and effective alternative to conventional direct contact methods.

Findings

Overlap technique achieves comparable magnetic shielding performance to traditional methods.

The foil overlap method simplifies sealing without compromising effectiveness.

Prototype tests confirm the viability of the overlap approach.

Abstract

We present results from studies of the effectiveness of an overlap technique for forming a magnetic seal across a gap at the boundary between a cylindrical magnetic shield and an end-cap. In this technique a thin foil of magnetic material overlaps the two surfaces, thereby spanning the gap across the cylinder and the end-cap, with the magnetic seal then formed by clamping the thin magnetic foil to the surfaces of the cylindrical shield and the end-cap on both sides of the gap. In studies with a prototype 31-cm diameter, 91-cm long, 0.16-cm thick cylindrical magnetic shield and flared end-cap, the magnetic shielding performance of our overlap technique is comparable to that obtained with the conventional method in which the end-cap is placed in direct lapped contact with the cylindrical shield via through bolts or screws.