Status of 4-cm-aperture, 17-m-long SSC dipole magnet R D program at BNL

Over the last year, several 4-cm-aperture, 17-m-long dipole magnet prototypes were built by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) under contract with the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) Laboratory. These prototypes are the last phase of a half-decade-long R D program, carried out in collaboration with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of the SSC main ring magnets. They also lay the ground for the 5-cm aperture dipole magnet program to be started soon. After reviewing the design features of the BNL 4-cm-aperture, 17-m-long dipole magnets, we describe in detail the various steps of their fabrication. For each step, we discuss the parameters that need to be mastered, and we compare the values that were achieved for the five most recent prototypes. The data appear coherent and reproducible, demonstrating that the assembly process in under control. 23 refs., 10 figs., 4 tabs