The reduction of the critical current in Nb₃Sn cables under transverse loads

The degradation of the critical current of impregnated Rutherford type Nb3Sn cables was investigated as a function of the applied transverse load and magnetic field. The cable is made of modified jelly-roll-type strand material and has a keystone angle of 1.0°. The voltage-current characteristics were determined for the magnetic field ranging from 2 to 11 T and transverse pressure up to 250 MPa on the cable surface. It was found that the 48-strand cable, made of strands with six elements in the matrix, showed a larger critical current degradation than the 26-strand cable with 36 elements per strand. The global degradation of the 48-strand cable was 63% at 150 MPa, and 40% at 150 MPa for the 26-strand cable. Microanalysis of the cross-section before and after compression is presented, showing significant permanent damage to the superconducting strands.