COMPOSITE SUPERCONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING PROCESS Russian patent published in 2002 - IPC

FIELD: electrical engineering;. SUBSTANCE: proposed process for manufacturing Nb₃Sn, compound based composite superconductors designed for devices operating in high-strength (over 10 T) magnetic fields at high current densities and low hysteresis losses includes following operations: formation of primary composite blank bar that has external fabric sheath and axial cylindrical niobium block incorporating longitudinally arranged doping element; deformation of primary composite blank bar with intermediate heat treatment until hexahedral-section bar is attained; cutting of hexahedral-section bar into metered lengths; reassembly into case made of copper alloy or copper doped with other conductor elements such as diffusion barrier of tantalum or niobium during this stage of process; deformation with intermediate heat treatment until desired wire diameter is attained; diffusion heat treatment at 600-750 C until superconducting Nb₃Sn compound is attained. Process is characterized in that for softening tantalum or niobium diffusion barriers composite superconductor is given intermediate heat treatment after every 50-99% of cold deformation at 600-795 C with external sheath of conductor heated up through 1 mm of its diameter within 90-5 s and exposed to this temperature for 3-10 s. EFFECT: provision for avoiding breakage of conductors due to softening of diffusion barriers. 2 cl, 2 dwg, 2 tbl