Mechanical characterisation of Nb3Sn Rutherford cable stacks

Nb3Sn Rutherford cables are used in CERN’s superconducting 11 T dipole and MQXF quadrupole magnets, which are proposed for the instantaneous luminosity (rate of particle collisions) upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) by a factor of five to a High Luminosity-Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). Nb3Sn-based conductors are the key technology for the envisioned Future Circular Collider (FCC) with an operating magnetic dipole field of 16 T. The baseline superconductor of the LHC dipole magnets is Nb–Ti, whereas an operation above 10 T is not possible due to the current carrying performance limitations of this superconductor at higher magnetic fields. Therefore, a superconducting material such as Nb3Sn has to be used with proven performance capabilities of 10 T and above. The conductor choice towards Nb3Sn-based cables affects the magnet manufacturing process, as it requires a heat treatment up to 650°C, an epoxy resin impregnation and introduces mechanical difficulties as the superconducting filaments are brittle and strain sensitive. A mechanical over loading of the filaments lead to irreversible conductor damage. The designs of 11 and 16 T magnets are supposed to push the conductor towards its mechanical and electrical performance limitations. The magnetic field induced forces on the current carrying conductor are balanced by mechanical pre-loading of the magnet. Thereby the highest controlled mechanical pre-load for the 11 T dipole magnet is set at ambient temperature. The mechanical stress limits of Nb3Sn-based cables have been investigated at cryogenic temperatures. The material strength and stiffness of the cable insulation system, formed by glass-fibre-reinforced resin, is increased at low temperatures. The ultimate stress values, determined at cryogenic temperature, are therefore not conservative. The ultimate stress limitation of the insulated conductor is assumed to be lower at ambient temperature. The cable limitations at ambient temperature need to be known for the ongoing magnet manufacturing process and also for future design approaches. Furthermore, the compressive stress–strain behaviour of a coil conductor block at ambient temperature is the key material characteristic, in order to recalculate the stress level in the coil during the assembly process. Existing approaches using an indirect strain measurement method provide uncertainties in the low-strain regime, which is the essential strain range for a material compound consisting of major fractions composed of heat-annealed copper and epoxy resin. Compressive stress–strain data of an impregnated conductor block are required, based on a direct strain measurement system, as available data have been collected on samples based on a different strand type and insulation system. The elaborated direct strain measurements can be correlated to strain gauge data, measured directly on a coil. The stress distribution in a Nb3Sn Rutherford cable need to be understood and validated to understand strain-induced degradation effects in the insulated conductor. This knowledge can also help to optimise the stress distribution envisioned magnet designs. The stress–strain state in the copper and Nb3Sn phase of a loaded conductor block has to be determined experimentally. This dissertation describes a test protocol and first elaborated results on the investigated stress limitations of a Nb3Sn Rutherford cable under homogeneous load applied in transversal direction. The compressive stress–strain behaviour of impregnated Nb3Sn Rutherford cable stacks was investigated experimentally. This includes a detailed report on the sample manufacturing process, measurements performed and validation of results through a comparison with the elaborated data of cable stacks extracted from a coil. The presented results from neutron diffraction measurements of loaded cable stacks allow the determination of the stress–strain level of the copper and Nb3Sn phase in the impregnated conductor. The relevant measured results have been recalculated with numerical calculations based on the Finite Element Method (FEM).