Papers by Keyword: Multifilamentary Superconductors

Abstract: The structure of high-purity copper and stabilizing copper of Cr-plated Nb₃Sn-strands with different RRR (residual resistance ratio) values has been studied. Cr diffusion into peripheral layers of stabilizing Cu has been revealed. The variations of RRR and Cr content in Cu at annealing have been estimated. It is demonstrated that an additional drop of RRR may be caused by oxygen diffusion from Cr coating obtained by electroplating. Optimal regimes of the diffusion annealing of Cr-plated Nb₃Sn-strands for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) have been determined.

Abstract: The structure of Nb3Sn-based, bronze-processed Ti-doped multifilamentary superconducting wires has been studied by TEM and SEM after the first (5750C,100 h) and the second (6500C,100 h) stage of the diffusion annealing. The Nb3Sn layers formation in all the composites proceeds by one and the same mechanism and starts with nucleation of particles and very fine grains of this phase in Nb filaments where Sn diffuses from the bronze matrix. Ti, inserted both in the bronze matrix, or Nb filaments, diffuses into the growing superconducting layer and promotes its more active formation. At the first stage of annealing (5750C, 100 h) Nb3Sn grains have an average size of 40 nm, and at the second stage (6500C, 100 h) they increase by a factor of 1.5 and the grain size distribution gets wider. After the two-stage annealing the amount of the residual niobium is small, and some Nb filaments, especially in doped composites, almost completely transform into Nb3Sn. In the Nb3Sn layers of a zone of columnar grains is adjacent to the residual Nb.