Development of a cryogenic mechanical property testing station for superconducting RF cavity material

Abstract

Recent concerns with pressure vessel codes as they relate to the construction of superconducting linacs have raised questions about mechanical proprieties of materials used in their fabrication at cryogenic temperatures. Pressure vessel engineering codes will require demonstration of a level of safety equivalent to that provided by the various ASME pressure and piping codes, so low temperature mechanical properties of niobium, titanium, and their alloys are needed. Michigan State University (MSU), in collaboration with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) and Florida State University (FSU), is constructing a materials testing station for tensile tests of materials at room and cryogenic temperatures (300, 77, and 4 K). Once complete, the testing station will allow researchers to relate effects of different microstructures arising from manufacturing pathways, including annealing processes, crystal orientations and microstructure characteristics (e.g. welds) to the resulting mechanical properties at cryogenic temperatures. The paper covers the design, construction, and commissioning of the cryogenic testing station, including initial results. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.