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Casting and machining of devices of high temperature superconducting BSCCO
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 February 2011
Abstract
Magnetic shields for SQUID applications were successfully fabricated using high Tc superconducting Bi–Sr–Ca–Cu–O (BSCCO). In order to produce shields with adequate superconducting properties and close dimensional control, it was necessary to develop several new processing techniques. Shields were produced by casting liquid BSCCO into molds, heat treating, and machining. A series of BSCCO alloys with different compositions were cast from the molten state into metal molds and subsequently heat treated to render the castings superconducting. The heat-treating cycles were studied with the aid of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and dilatometer measurements. The phases and microstructures after various heat-treating cycles were monitored by x-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Superconducting properties were measured after various stages of heat treatment and machining. Prototype magnetic shields were machined from bulk castings and found to perform successfully. The most significant factor in shield quality was the nominal composition of the shield, which was shown by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to affect the grain boundary chemistry.
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