Bending tests of cables

Comparing a telescope to a human body, while components such as receivers are internal organs, cables to connect them are blood vessels that have very important functions in the body.. At a laboratory in Mitaka , cable durability is being tested to select highly durable cables that can make maintenance work easier. The picture shows Masumi Yamada, research fellow conducting the bending tests of a flexible helium hose for a cryostat. The black, curving thing in the back is a bending testing machine. At first, we thought the hose would not be able to endure over 4000 bends, but it is still undamaged after 1,500 bends. The hose seems to bear further bends. In order to guarantee 30-year operation without replacement, it needs to have the durability to withstand 270,000 bends.

Tags : ALMA Topics

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