Mechanical design of NASA Ames Research Center vertical motion simulator

NASA has designed and is constructing a new flight simulator with large vertical travel. Several aspects of the mechanical design of this Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) are discussed, including the multiple rack and pinion vertical drive, a pneumatic equilibration system, and the friction-damped rigid link catenaries used as cable supports

The Scrounge-atron: a phased approach to the Advanced Hydrotest Facility utilizing proton radiography

The Department of Energy has initiated its Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program (SSMP) to provide a single, integrated technical program for maintaining the continued safety and reliability of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile in the absence of nuclear testing. Consistent with the SSMP, the Advanced Hydrotest Facility (AHF) has been conceived to provide improved radiographic imaging with multiple axes and multiple time frames. The AHF would be used to better understand the evolution of nuclear weapon primary implosion shape under normal and accident scenarios. There are three fundamental technologies currently under consideration for use on the AHF. These include linear induction acceleration, inductive-adder pulsed-power technology (both technologies using high current electron beams to produce an intense X-ray beam) and high-energy proton accelerators to produce a proton beam. The Scrounge-atron (a proton synchrotron) was conceived to be a relatively low cost demonstration of the viability of the third technology using bursts of energetic protons, magnetic lenses, and particle detectors to produce the radiographic image. In order for the Scrounge-atron to provide information useful for the AHF technology decision, the accelerator would have to be built as quickly and as economically as possible. These conditions can be met by "scrounging" parts from decommissioned accelerators across the country, especially the Main Ring at Fermilab. The Scrounge-atron is designed to meet the baseline parameters for single axis proton radiography: a 20 GeV proton beam of ten pulses, 10 degrees protons each, spaced 250 ns apart. (2 refs)

Laser startup optics for Baseball II and future mirror machines

The laser startup system for Baseball II-T uses a 300-J CO$sub 2$ laser to hit a 100-$mu$ diameter pellet with a laser power density on the order of 10$sup 13$ W/cm$sup 2$. The laser is a 20-cm diameter unstable resonator transversely excited (TEA) oscillator. The beam is split and then focused using off-axis parabolas. The symmetric configuration and central obscuration of the CO$sub 2$ beam allow coaxial alignment and pellet detection optics. This experiment primarily uses commercially available systems and components. Optical elements were fabricated both by direct machining and standard polishing techniques. The laser and optical systems are directly scalable to reactor requirements using demonstrated technologies. (auth

LLNL Tandem Mirror Experiment (TMX) upgrade vacuum system

TMX Upgrade is a large, tandem, magnetic-mirror fusion experiment with stringent requirements on base pressure (10/sup -8/ torr), low H reflux from the first walls, and peak gas pressure (5 x 10/sup -7/ torr) due to neutral beam gas during plasma operation. The 225 m/sup 3/ vacuum vessel is initially evacuated by turbopumps. Cryopumps provide a continuous sink for gases other than helium, deuterium, and hydrogen. The neutral beam system introduces up to 480 l/s of H or D. The hydrogen isotopes are pumped at very high speed by titanium sublimed onto two cylindrical radially separated stainless steel quilted liners with a total surface area of 540 m/sup 2/. These surfaces (when cooled to about 80/sup 0/K) provide a pumping speed of 6 x 10/sup 7/ l/s for hydrogen. The titanium getter system is programmable and is used for heating as well as gettering. The inner plasma liner can be operated at elevated temperatures to enhance migration of gases away from the surfaces close to the plasma. Glow discharge cleaning is part of the pumpdown procedure. The design features are discussed in conjunction with the operating procedures developed to manage the dynamic vacuum conditions

Vibrational, thermal, and alignment considerations of the laser system for Baseball II-T

Designing the Baseball II-T laser system required addressing a number of mechanical parameters. Among them are low frequency floor vibrations, high acoustical noise levels, and large thermal fluctuations in the vicinity of the experiment. In addition, the 8-in. apertures from the 300-K environment of the laser system had to be compatible with the cryogenic environment of the superconducting Baseball magnet. This paper discusses these problems and describes their influence on the laser system design. (auth

Project planning and project management of Baseball II-T

The details of the project planning and project management work done on the Baseball II-T experiment are reviewed. The LLL Baseball program is a plasma confinement experiment accomplished with a superconducting magnet in the shape of a baseball seam. Both project planning and project management made use of the Critical Path Management (CPM) computer code. The computer code, input, and results from the project planning and project management runs, and the cost and effectiveness of this method of systems planning are discussed. (auth

The superconducting solenoid magnet system for the GEM detector at the SSC

The design of the magnet for the GEM detector at the SSC is described. It is an 18m inner diameter, 30m long superconducting solenoid, with a magnetic field of 0.8T. The basic solenoidal field is shaped by large ferromagnetic cones, to improve detector performance in the ends of the solenoid. Because of the system`s large size and mass, field-fabrication on-site at SSC is required. The challenges in this process, together with the large stored energy of the system, 2.5 GJ, have lead to novel design choices in several areas, including the conductor. The design of the conductor, cold mass, vacuum vessel, cold mass supports, thermal shields, forward field shapers, and auxiliary systems are described

Baseball II-T, a new target plasma startup experiment

A brief description is given of modifications and additions to the existing Baseball II experiment. These changes will make it possible to study target plasma buildup in a steady-state magnetic field. This experiment, now called Baseball II-T$sup +$ will use a pellet generator to deliver ammonia pellets into the center of the magnetic mirror field where they will be heated with a 300-J, 50-ns, CO$sub 2$ laser. The plasma created by this method will have a density of approximately 10$sup 13$ cm$sup -3$ and a temperature of about 1 keV. This target plasma will be used for neutral beam injection startup studies with a 50-A, 20-keV neutral beam. Later, the beam power will be increased to study buildup. With ion injection energies of up to 50 keV, it may be possible to achieve etatau as high as 10$sup 12$ cm$sup -3$ s. The new components necessary to achieve these goals are described. (auth