Analysis of Electrical Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Plastic I-Beams for DUNE​

To study neutrino oscillations, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will require the construction of four liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs) each with 40,000-ton active mass to act as neutrino detectors, and they will require up to 300 kV applied to a field cage to generate the uniform electric field the detectors will require. Many components of the field cage are mounted on I-beams made of fiber-reinforced plastic intended to act as an insulator between mounted components. To ensure proper, predictable performance, a variety of electrical tests were performed to analyze the impact of different voltages and exposure to moisture. Additionally, although outside the scope of direct testing, environmental data on temperature and humidity were collected and analyzed for potential impact on electrical properties.​