Reconstruction of the roof of SESAME’s experimental hall started on 6 December 2014, and the skeleton, consisting of the spine truss, secondary trusses, sway trusses and bracers, is now in place.
The final checking process and tightening of the screws will be completed by the end of December.
Subject to good weather conditions, the sandwich panels covering the roof are expected to be in place by the end of January 2015. In the original design, the insulating material (polyurethane) between the exterior and interior layers of these panels was 5 cm thick. This is being increased to 10 cm, thus permitting savings in the energy required to keep the temperature inside the experimental hall at a constant 25°C.
In parallel to the work on the roof, the designer (and contractor) prepared two designs for the crane inside the experimental hall that was damaged when the roof collapsed; one design had a single girder and the second a double one. The double girder system has been selected. This crane serves to move heavy equipment and blocks of the shielding wall when required.
Apart from one week during which heavy parts were being moved for reconstruction of the roof, when for reasons of security the staff were moved to the premises of Jordan’s IMAN 1 supercomputer, the staff have been able to pursue their normal activities in their offices and laboratories at SESAME despite the complete removal of the caved-in roof.
The SESAME Safety Committee continues to work closely with the safety officer of the contractor to ensure a safe work environment for the staff.