Finite Element Analysis of Extrusion of Multifilamentary Superconductor Precursor

The extrusion of multifilamentary superconductor precursor billets has been modeled using finite element analysis. The billet configuration was 6 around 1, with the subelement consisting of Nb rods, and the outer can or sleeve was Cu. Two general cases were investigated, those in which the re-stack rods were initially; (i) round, and (ii) hexed. A thermo-mechanical, elasto-plastic, finite-element method was used to analyze the extrusion process. In this 3D FEM model, the initial state of the billet was assumed to be absent of bonding. A typical die angle (2α=45 deg.) and a series of extrusion ratios were selected to perform the simulation and the corresponding stress and strain distributions of the two billet variants processed were compared. Based on the stress and deformation created at the rod/rod and rod/sleeve interfaces, the bonding conditions generated through the extrusion were investigated