Quench and mechanical behavior of an LHC low-β quadrupole model

A one meter model of the high gradient 70 mm aperture superconducting low-/spl beta/ quadrupole has been developed at KEK. The design field gradient is 240 T/m at a current 7677 A with a superconducting load line ratio of 92% and peak field of 9.64 T in the coil. A first series of training tests of the magnet was carried out at 1.9 K including a full thermal cycle to room temperature. The highest quench current was 8007 A corresponding to a field gradient of 250 T/m. The magnet was subsequently reassembled to improve its longitudinal mechanical structure. In this paper, quench characteristics and mechanical behavior of the first model magnet are presented.