1996

1996

First buildings and the arm trenches

January 1996

Up to now the ramming for the eastward trench has been completed and the first 100 m for the northward trench have been done.

17th January 1996:

18th January 1996:

19th January 1996:

20th January 1996:

21st January 1996:

29th January 1996:

Except for the first week of January work has completely been stopped. The wheather is extremely cold right now, the ground is frozen to a depth of about one and half a meter. This morning's (9.2.1996) temperature has been -17°C. Within the next week there is no change to be expected.

May 1996

Now, in the middle of May 1996 the ramming of the second trench is done, except for the last 150 m. The I-beams and transverse reinforcement beams are welded at the first 400 m. The northward trench is dug out at a length of about 500 m and will be finished within the next week. The first two sections of the rail where the tube will be hung at and pushed out of the end house have been installed and works all right. We have set up a wooden 'hut' in front of the eastern end-house for storing up to six tube sections before welding them together inside the end-house. Inside the eastern end-house the 'platforms' are set up and the major part of the electrical installation ist done.

We intend to begin tube installation around end of May. A short tube section has been taken out of the actual manufacturing process and its vacuum properties (outgasing rate, residual partial pressures before and after baking) are checked.

June 1996

Now, on the 24th of June, the eastern end-house is finished, the welding machine is in place, and the rail where the tube will be hung from is installed and adjusted. We have built a "wooden hut" with a shelf inside which takes up to 6 pieces of the 4.5 m tube sections for short term storing capacity. The trench is ready and covered with corrugated sheet metal. The welding of the tube will (hopefully) begin within a week or two.

The ramming of the second trench is nearly completed. There are only about 100 m left. We are currently checking the vacuum properties of a 75 cm test section taken out of the manufacturing process. The first results look promising.

September 1996