Transportation Fatigue Testing of the pHB650 Power Coupler Antenna for the PIP-II Project at Fermilab

TL;DR

This paper details the development and results of a cyclic stress test on a new antenna design's power coupler to assess its durability during shipment for the PIP-II project.

Contribution

It introduces a novel cyclic fatigue testing method specifically for the pHB650 power coupler antenna to evaluate its resilience against shipment shocks.

Findings

The antenna withstands cyclic stresses within expected shipment conditions.

The test identified stress thresholds that could lead to failure.

Results inform design improvements for shipment safety.

Abstract

The PIP-II Project will see international shipment of cryomodules from Europe to the United States, and as such, the shocks which can occur during shipment pose a risk to the internal components. Of particular concern is the coupler ceramic window and surrounding brazes, which will see stresses during an excitation event. Since the antenna design is new, and because of the setback failure would create, a cyclic stress test was devised for the antenna. This paper presents the experimental methods, setup, and results of the test.