Method for producing superconducting cable and cable produced thereby
AssigneeNew England Electric Wire Corporation
InventorRobert F. Meserve
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A superconductor cable with high interstrand resistance is produced from superconductor wire strands which has been electroplated with nickel. The wire strands have filaments of a superconductor alloy in a normally conducting metal matrix and are electroplated before they are formed into an elongated bundle of generally circular cross section. This bundle is then deformed and compacted into a superconductor cable of generally polygonal cross section which is usually trapezoidal. The superconductor wire is preferably comprised of a multiplicity of filaments of niobium/titanium superconductor alloy disposed within a matrix of copper.
Claims7
In a method for making superconductor cable, the steps comprising:
- (a) encasing a multiplicity of filaments of a superconductor alloy in a normally conducting metal matrix to form superconductor wire;
- (b) electroplating with nickel said superconductor wire to provide a nickel coating about the periphery thereof;
- (c) forming an elongated bundle of generally circular cross section from a multiplicity of strands of said electroplated superconductor wire;
- and
- (d) deforming and compacting said bundle of strands into a superconductor cable of generally polygonal cross section, said nickel coating on said strands substantially maintaining its integrity in said cable, and said strands exhibiting only negligible diffusion of nickel into the matrix metal of said superconductor wire, said cable exhibiting relatively high interstrand resistance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.