An experimental study of the transport properties of a flexible high-Tc superconducting cable

The powder-in-tube method was used for fabrication of multifilamentary (up to 10 filaments) superconductors in an Ag sheath of 9 mm and 16 mm diameter and several metres in length; corrugated cable elements with Y and Bi ceramic conductors were placed in the wall of the tube. After annealing at 920 degrees C for 72 h in air the specimens of composition Y-123 had the critical temperature Tc = 85 K and the Bi-2223 specimens annealed at 850 degrees C for 100-120 h had Tc = 105 K. The superconducting transition width of the specimens was about 1 K. The critical current density at 77 K was 103 A cm-2 for all specimens in zero magnetic field. (author)