Analysis of Mechanical Properties of Each Layer of Superconducting Tape of Multi-Layer CORC Cable Under Transverse Compression Load

CORC cable has many advantages and is very suitable for the manufacture of magnets for next generation fusion projects. During the operation of the fusion magnet, the CORC cable will be in a large background magnetic field, and the current carrying capacity of the CORC cable is up to tens of thousands of amperes. So the CORC cable will be subject to huge transverse compression forces. Excessive transverse compression load will lead to irreversible degradation of the current carrying capacity of the CORC cable. Therefore, it is necessary to study the transverse compression performance of the multi-layer high-current CORC cable. In this paper, transverse compression load is applied to a 10-layer CORC cable until its critical current decreases to 60% of the initial current carrying capacity. (Ensure that its current carrying capacity is irreversibly degraded under transverse compression load.) Combined with the 3D finite element simulation model, the trend of critical current decline and its internal causes are analyzed. Then, the CORC cable is disassembled and studied, and the critical current and N value of each superconducting tape are studied. The results show that the most serious degradation of critical current is in the outermost superconducting tape. With the number of layers inward, the degree of critical current degradation decreases gradually. Through the 3D finite element simulation model, the strain of each layer of superconducting tape is analyzed. The simulation and the experimental results are in good agreement. The results of this paper provide theoretical support for the selection of the superconducting tape protective layer of CORC cable.