Homogeneous performance and strain tolerance of long Bi-2223 HTS conductors under hoop stress

Abstract

Two types of high-strength industrial Bi-2223 conductor, one laminated by copper alloy and the other laminated by stainless steel, have been tested to examine the effect of hoop stress on the transport property. The specimens (∼2 m long) were prepared by winding one layer around a GFRP mandrel and the measurements were made in a liquid helium bath with the hoop stress calculated from the BJR product applied by external magnetic field. A careful measurement wire configuration was necessary to cancel the noise pick-up from the environment for more accurate determination of Ic and n-value. We show for the first time that both conductors showed homogeneous voltage–current characteristics over a long length and degradations with hoop stress occurred uniformly, which is crucial information for the development of HTS magnet technology. The onset of degradation occurred at 200 MPa and 220 MPa, with additional bending stress present from the winding diameter of 108 mm, for copper alloy laminated and stainless steel laminated conductors, respectively. After considering the effect of bending strain, our result agrees well with the previously measured data.