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Article: A mission of extremes: a huge bellows has been designed to prevent contamination of a high-purity environment where scientists are attempting to produce the conditions of high energy and density found at the center of the sun. (Mechanical & Power Transmission).
- Article from:
- Product Design & Development
- Article date:
- March 1, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Advantage Business Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Usually protective bellows are used to keep contaminants away from hydraulic cylinder rods and other moveable precision components, but a huge bellows installed on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, CA, has another mission. It has been designed to contain fumes and vapors that escape from a 60-foot-high telescoping hydraulic cylinder to prevent contamination of the high-purity environment required for NIF's 10-meter diameter Target Chamber.
The 360-in.-extended-height bellows with 72 in. ID presented several design challenges including limited space to accommodate its cross-section and restrictions ...