Structural analysis of REBCO coated conductors and quasi-isotropic strands under bending using continuum shell element

Abstract

The electro-mechanical properties of Rare-Earth Barium Copper Oxide (REBCO) coated conductors (CCs) are crucial for practical structures such as power cables, magnet coils and so on. Many tests including tension and bending tests were conducted to estimate the critical current of REBCO CCs under different loadings. However, standard test method for the electro-mechanical properties of REBCO CCs has not been established, especially for bending tests. Therefore, finite element simulations of bending tests of REBCO CCs are still needed to further analyze the electro-mechanical behavior under loading. Structural responses of REBCO CCs and quasi-isotropic (Q-IS) strands under bending are analyzed using continuum shell element in this study. The numerical results indicate that bending strains obtained from finite element simulations match well with the analytical calculations in pure bending state. Furthermore, the influences of former shapes are also discussed to evaluate the bending tolerance of REBCO CCs in different cases. In addition, the mechanical properties and critical current degradation of Q-IS strands under bending are analyzed.