Characterization of the Stress Distribution on Nb3Sn Rutherford Cables Under Transverse Compression

Coils of high-field Nb3Sn magnets are submitted to large loads during assembly at ambient temperature and during operation at cold. This paper addresses the characterization of the stress distribution on reacted and impregnated Nb3Sn Rutherford cables under transverse compression, at ambient temperature, and in a similar configuration as seen during magnet assembly. We performed an experimental campaign on impregnated Nb3Sn Rutherford cable stacks. Different test configurations have been compared in order to optimize the stress homogeneity applied on the contact surface. The cable surface reconstruction based on X-ray microtomography has been used to generate the cable geometry as input for finite-element simulations that allow to predict the effect of coil materials parameters on stress concentrations in the conductor.