Measurement of repulsive force of high T/sub c/ materials due to Meissner effect and its two dimensional distribution

As a basic study for magnetic bearings using high-T/sub c/. superconductors, evaluations of the materials were conducted. These evaluations included measurements of the repulsive force and lateral restoring force of various kinds of YBCO pellets. Pure air, which was supplied in the process of fabrication, and the presence of Ag in YBCO showed evidence of the effects of increasing the repulsive force. The lateral restoring force which was observed in the lateral displacement of a levitated permanent magnet over YBCO pellets was also affected by pure air and the presence of Ag. A new measuring instrument for magnetic fields was developed by using a highly sensitive force sensor. Because this instrument has the capability of measuring the repulsive force due to the Meissner effect, it was used for evaluating the two-dimensional distribution of superconducting properties. Results show that the pellets had nonuniform superconducting properties. The two-dimensional distribution of residual flux density on the pellets which had been cooled in a magnetic field (field cooling) was also observed by means of the instrument. The mechanism for generating lateral force is discussed in relation to the distribution.