The Insulating Stack for the NSF Tandem Accelerator

The design, procurement, assembly and installation of an insulating stack for a large tandem Van de Graaff accelerator present many problems. These range from calculating the stability of a large structure made from what are not usually considered as structural materials, to economically producing and assembling the many tens of thousands of components involved. A description of the stack together with some of the manufacturing and assembly problems and how they are overcome are briefly outlined and references are given to further information.