Midlands firm’s repair helps unravel mysteries of the universe

Last year, scientists at CERN (The European Organisation for Nuclear Research) were all set to recreate the conditions found at the creation of the universe, milliseconds after the big bang, when a superconductor in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) failed - bringing the experiment to a grinding halt. Now, precision pressings specialist Brandauer, which employs around 70 people at its plant in Birmingham, has been asked to supply 2,500 specially made pressure relief springs designed to prevent pressure build-up within the LHC that could cause further damage. David Spears, managing director at Brandauer (pictured with one of the pressure relief springs), said: "We were approached to design and manufacture springs for new valves that will prevent pressure build-up by allowing for more helium gas to be released in the event of a sudden increase in temperature within the LHC." To achieve the quality required for such a high-pressure environment, the valve springs needed to be manufactured from beryllium-copper alloy and Brandauer is one of a few companies in Europe with the skills and expertise to work with this metal for such a specialist application. After spending a month working with the CERN scientists and engineers to develop the ideal design solution, Brandauer has almost completed the order and the new valves are currently being installed.