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Understanding Properties and Fabrication Processes of Superconducting Nb3Sn Wires

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Cryogenic Engineering

Part of the book series: International Cryogenics Monograph Series ((ICMS))

Abstract

The fabrication of multifilamentary Nb3Sn wireswas started by the discovery of the bronze process, a solid-state diffusion process, to form filamentary A15 structure compounds in 1969–1970. Through a number of improvements and modifications of the original process in the ensuing years, these wires are nowindispensable components for the construction of magnets, producing very high magnetic fields for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, magnetic fusion experiments, and future high-energy particle accelerators. A comprehensive review article summarizes the state of the knowledge up to 1980 on the formation mechanisms and the superconducting properties of the A15 compounds that were fabricated by this process. Since 1980, significant advances have been made in the basic understanding of the factors controlling the growth processes, and basic superconducting properties of the bronze-processed Nb3Sn. In particular, significant progress has been made in understanding the effects of alloying on these properties and mechanisms for fluxline pinning in the compound. Furthermore, for the practical usage of these wires, tremendous progress in the critical-current densities of multifilamentary Nb3Sn wires has been made over the last several years. This chapter reviews these new findings about Nb3Sn by the solid-state diffusion process and the critical-current densities of the state-of-the-art multifilamentary Nb3Sn wires.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, 76 Cornell Ave., Upton, NY, 11973, USA

    M. Suenaga

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  1. M. Suenaga
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA

    Klaus D. Timmerhaus

  2. Cryogenic Materials, Inc., 2625 Iliff, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA

    Richard P. Reed

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Suenaga, M. (2007). Understanding Properties and Fabrication Processes of Superconducting Nb3Sn Wires. In: Timmerhaus, K.D., Reed, R.P. (eds) Cryogenic Engineering. International Cryogenics Monograph Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-46896-X_12

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