Influence of filament number and size on the basic properties of in situ made MgB2 wires

Abstract

Abstract Monel-sheathed MgB2 wires with 6, 18 and 54 filaments of diameter 0.83 mm manufactured by Sam Dong Co., Ltd, have been subjected to twisting, drawing and rolling and measurements at low temperatures. R(T), I–V characteristics, critical currents and stress/strain tolerances of these wires were analyzed. Low reduction of critical current (⩽10%) by twisting between 50 mm and 12.5 mm was observed, especially for the wire with 54 filaments, which also showed the best strain tolerance to tension, ∼0.43% at 4.2 K. The engineering current density of the 18-filament wire was decreased by 56% by drawing from 0.83 mm to 0.4 mm, but improved by ∼24% by rolling from 0.83 mm to 0.64 mm. A small uninsulated coil was made from wire flattened from 0.83 mm to 0.64 mm by the wind and react process, resulting in a very high winding packing factor of 0.91 and also a high winding current density of 104 A cm−2 at B ⩽ 5.6 T. The presented properties are interesting for possible applications of these MgB2 wires in DC windings.