A computer-controlled wire tension measurement system used in the fabrication of the CDF central drift tube array

Abstract

We have developed a sensitive computer-controlled method for measuring the anode wire tensions of individual drift tubes which have a wire support located mid-length along the tube. By resonating the anode wire at higher harmonics of the fundamental resonance frequency, simultaneous measurement of the anode wire tension and verification of the location of the wire support was achieved. The anode wire tension for each drift tube was measured to better than 0.5% accuracy and the location of the anode wire support measured to better than 0.01% for drift tubes 3 m in length. This method was used for measuring the wire tensions of 2226 drift tubes during the fabrication of the CDF central drift tube array.