Ageing of microstrip gas chambers: problems and solutions

The experimental setup and the procedures used for studying the long-term behaviour of micro-strip gas chambers under sustained irradiation are described in detail. The most significant measurements on ageing obtained in a variety of conditions are reported, and a tentative interpretation of the results is presented. The relevance of these findings for the conception, construction and use of MSGCs trackers in high luminosity LHC detectors is discussed.