Square and round Bi(2 2 2 3) wire configurations and their AC losses

Abstract

In order to reduce the effect of field anisotropy, but also in view of future cabling facilities, a series of Bi(2 2 2 3) wires with various square and round configurations were prepared using a combination of two-axial rolling and drawing. As previously reported, two-axis rolling of a wire configuration, with filaments being perpendicular or inclined to each other, cannot lead to an optimized rolling texture for both directions, e.g. parallel and perpendicular to the tape surface: it gives an average. As a result, even using the same precursor powders, the values of J c in wire configurations are inherently lower than those obtained on standard powder-in-tube tapes. SEM images show that particular care has to be taken in order to avoid a distorted alignment of the filaments in certain local areas. The influence of local stresses on the filaments and their influence on the final texture were studied systematically. The critical current measurements as a function of magnetic field showed that wires with the filament configuration with a rotation symmetry exhibit the most angle-insensitive behavior of J c( B). Due to the wire configuration, the expected relatively low J c values, 11 kA/cm 2 at 77 K and zero field, were measured for square wires. AC loss measurements were performed in wires with various configurations and with twist pitches down to 2 mm. The results show that both wire geometry and twisting have a positive effect on the AC losses.