Development of in situ second phase pinning structure in niobium-titanium based superconducting alloys

This paper reports on a niobium-based superconducting alloy developed which has a rare earth second phase that segregates between the matrix dendrites during solidification. The second phase can be refined by conventional deformation without heat treatment so as to form an in situ fiber network. In such an alloy, one has independent control of the second phase volume fraction as well as the matrix composition. The development of the in situ alloy along with early microstructural and critical current results on the first wires are reported