RESIDUAL-STRESS AND THE CRITICAL-CURRENT IN SUPERCONDUCTING TAPES

The critical current density in single core superconducting tapes has been observed to vary across the width of the tape. It was not known w hether this was due to the stresses induced by cooling after heat trea tment during the manufacture of such tapes. Finite element modelling o f the thermal stresses in a single core Ag-(Bi,Pb)(2)Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox super conducting tape has been carried out. This shows that the critical cur rent density distribution seen is not due to the stresses within the t ape, nor is it an artefact of the experimental methods that have been used to determine the distribution. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Sci ence Ltd.