Submicron-particle ductile superconductor
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsAleksander I. Braginski, Alan T. Male
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Abstract
A submicron-particle ductile superconductor and method of fabricating the same wherein the submicron particles (e.g., 300 Angstroms) of a superconductor (e.g., NbC) are encapsulated in a metal tube (e.g., copper) and then fabricated down to fine wire in the absence of sintering of reaction annealing. Because of the fluid-like properties of the unsintered submicron-particle powdered core, the composite fabricated wire retains ductility and resistance to fracture while exhibiting superconducting properties approaching those of the bulk material in the core. Multifilamentary composites are obtained by bundling and fabricating the bundle down in a required number of steps.
Claims12
A superconducting composite wire comprising:
- a. an encapsulating sheath of ductile conducting metal;
- and
- b. encapsulating filaments of essentially contiguous submicron-particle superconducting powder, said superconducting powder containing a lubricant, said lubricant being less than 10% by volume of said superconducting powder.
A superconducting composite wire comprising:
- a. an encapsulating sheath of ductile conducting metal;
- and
- b. encapsulating filaments of essentially contiguous submicron-particle superconducting powder;
- wherein said submicron-particle superconducting powder is either coated with a layer of lubricant or mixed with a lubricant powder of comparable particle size, said lubricant being less than 10% by volume of said superconducting powder.
A superconducting composite wire comprising:
- a. an encapsulating sheath of ductile conducting metal;
- and
- b. an encapsulated essentially contiguous core of submicron-particle superconducting powder, wherein said submicron-particle superconducting powder has a generally spherical shape and containing a lubricant, said lubricant being less than 10% by volume of said superconducting powder.
A flexible superconducting composite wire utilizing brittle superconducting material, said wire comprising:
- a. an encapsulating sheath of ductile conducting metal;
- and
- b. an encapsulated core consisting of essentially contiguous, discrete submicron superconducting particles and containing lubricant, said lubricant being less than 10% by volume, whereby said particles are capable of slipping relative to each other and still have spacing between particles of generally less than the coherence length to provide a ductile and flexible superconducting wire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.