Method of making high temperature superconducting ceramic oxide composite with reticulated metal foam
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsDonald U. Gubser, M. Ashraf Imam
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Abstract
A high temperature superconducting composite rod, wire or tape is formed by filling the open cells of a reticulated foam structure made of silver, silver alloy, gold or gold alloy with a superconducting ceramic oxide or precursor, compacting the filled structure and forming it into a rod, wire or tape and heating it to melt and/or texture the superconducting ceramic oxide. The resulting composite has continuous ligaments of metal throughout a continuous region of superconducting ceramic oxide.
Claims17
A method of making a high temperature superconducting composite comprising the steps of
- providing a reticulated foam structure comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of silver, silver alloy, gold and gold alloy, the reticulated foam structure having continuous ligaments defining a plurality of continuous open cells,
- filling the continuous open cells of the reticulated foam structure with a high temperature superconducting ceramic oxide or precursor,
- compacting the filled structure, and
- heating the compacted structure to melt and/or texture the high temperature superconducting ceramic oxide or precursor to form a continuous region of high temperature superconducting ceramic oxide throughout the compacted structure, wherein the metal is selected to have a higher melting temperature than the melt/texture temperature of the superconducting ceramic oxide or precursor.
A method of making a composite superconducting conductor comprising the steps of
- providing a reticulated foam structure made of a metal selected from the group consisting of silver, silver alloy, gold and gold alloy, the reticulated foam structure having continuous ligaments defining a plurality of continuous open cells,
- enclosing the reticulated foam structure in a sheath,
- filling the continuous open cells of the enclosed reticulated foam structure with a superconducting ceramic oxide or precursor,
- compacting the sheath, thereby compacting the enclosed filled reticulated foam structure, and
- heating the compacted sheath to melt and/or texture the compacted superconducting ceramic oxide or precursor to form a composite superconducting conductor having a continuous region of superconducting ceramic oxide throughout the enclosed, compacted reticulated foam structure, wherein the metal is selected to have a higher melting temperature than the melt/texture temperature of the superconducting ceramic oxide or precursor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.