Process for making constrained filament niobium-based superconductor composite
AssigneeComposite Materials Technology, Inc.
InventorJames Wong
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Abstract
A niobium-based superconductor is manufactured by establishing multiple niobium components in a billet of a ductile metal, working the composite billet through a series of reduction steps to form the niobium components into elongated elements, each niobium element having a thickness on the order of 1 to 25 microns, surrounding the billet prior to the last reduction step with a porous confining layer of an acid resistant metal, immersing the confined billet in an acid to remove the ductile metal from between the niobium elements while the niobium elements remain confined by said porous layer, exposing the confined mass of niobium elements to a material capable of reacting with Nb to form a superconductor.
Claims11
A process for manufacturing a Nb3Sn superconductor comprising the steps of establishing multiple niobium components in a billet of a ductile metal, working the composite billet through a series of reduction steps to form said niobium components into elongated elements, each said element having a thickness on the order of 1 to 25 microns, surrounding said billet with a porous confining layer of an acid resistant metal, immersing said confined billet in an acid to remove said ductile metal from between the niobium elements while the niobium elements remain confined by said porous layer, immersing the confined mass of niobium elements in a liquid metal containing tin to coat said niobium elements with said liquid metal and subsequently reacting said tin with the Nb filaments to form NB3Sn.
A process for manufacturing a niobium-based superconductor selected from the group consisting of Nb3Sn, Nb3Al, NbN, and NbC comprising the steps of establishing multiple niobium components in a billet of a ductile metal, working the composite billet through a series of reduction steps to form said niobium components into elongated elements, each said element having a thickness on the order of 1 to 25 microns, surrounding said billet with a porous confining layer of an acid resistant metal, immersing said confined billet in an acid to remove said ductile metal from between the niobium elements while the niobium elements remain confined by said porous layer, exposing the confined mass of niobium elements to a material capable of reacting with Nb to form a superconductor.
A process for manufacturing a A-15 or B1 type compound superconductor comprising the steps of establishing multiple primary metal component in a billet of a ductile metal, working the composite billet through a series of reduction steps to form said primary metal components into elongated elements, each said element having a thickness in the order of 1 to 25 microns, surrounding said elements with a porous confining layer of an acid resistant metal, immersing said confined elements in an acid to remove said ductile metal from between the primary metal elements while the primary elements remain confined by said porous layer, contacting the confined mass of primary metal elements with a reactant and reacting the primary metal elements with the reactant to form the A-15 or B1 superconducting compound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.