Brittle superconducting magnets: an equivilent strain model

To exceed fields of 10 T in accelerator magnets, brittle superconductors like A15 Nb{sub 3}Sn and Nb{sub 3}Al or ceramic High Temperature Superconductors have to be used. For such brittle superconductors it is not their maximum tensile yield stress that limits their structural resistance as much as strain values that provoke deformations in their delicate lattice, which in turn affect their superconducting properties. Work on the sensitivity of Nb{sub 3}Sn cables to strain has been conducted in a number of stress states, including uniaxial and multi-axial, producing usually different results. This has made the need of a constituent design criterion imperative for magnet builders. In conventional structural problems an equivalent stress model is typically used to verify mechanical soundness. In the superconducting community a simple scalar equivalent strain to be used in place of an equivalent stress would be an extremely useful tool. As is well known in fundamental mechanics, there is not one single way to reduce a multiaxial strain state as represented by a 2nd order tensor to a scalar. The conceptual experiment proposed here will help determine the best scalar representation to use in the identification of an equivalent strain model

Analytical Study of Stress State in HTS Solenoids

A main challenge for high field solenoids made of in High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) is the large stress developed in the conductor. This is especially constraining for BSCCO, a brittle and strain sensitive ceramic material. To find parametric correlations useful in magnet design, analytical models can be used. A simple model is herein proposed to obtain the radial, azimuthal and axial stresses in a solenoid as a function of size, i.e. self-field, and of the engineering current density for a number of different constraint hypotheses. The analytical model was verified against finite element modeling (FEM) using the same hypotheses of infinite rigidity of the constraints and room temperature properties. FEM was used to separately evaluate the effect of thermal contractions at 4.2 K for BSCCO and YBCO coils. Even though the analytical model allows for a finite stiffness of the constraints, it was run using infinite stiffness. For this reason, FEM was again used to determine how much stresses change when considering an outer stainless steel skin with finite rigidity for both BSCCO and YBCO coils. For a better understanding of the actual loads that high field solenoids made of HTS will be subject to, we have started some analytical studies of stress state in solenoids for a number of constraint hypotheses. This will hopefully show what can be achieved with the present conductor in terms of self-field. The magnetic field (B) exerts a force F = B x J per unit volume. In superconducting magnets, where the field and current density (J) are both high, this force can be very large, and it is therefore important to calculate the stresses in the coil

Design and Assembly of a Large-aperture Nb3Sn Cos-theta Dipole Coil with Stress Management in Dipole Mirror Configuration

The stress-management cos-theta (SMCT) coil is a new concept which has been proposed and is being developed at Fermilab in the framework of US Magnet Development Program (US-MDP) for high-field and/or large-aperture accelerator magnets based on low-temperature and high-temperature superconductors. The SMCT structure is used to reduce large coil deformations under the Lorentz forces and, thus, the excessively large strains and stresses in the coil. A large-aperture Nb3Sn SMCT dipole coil has been developed and fabricated at Fermilab to demonstrate and test the SMCT concept including coil design, fabrication technology and performance. The first SMCT coil has been assembled with 60-mm aperture Nb3Sn coil inside a dipole mirror configuration and will be tested separately and in series with the insert coil. This paper summarizes the large-aperture SMCT coil design and parameters and reports the coil fabrication steps and its assembly in dipole mirror configuration

Self-Field Effects in Magneto-Thermal Instabilities for Nb-Sn Strands

Recent advancements in the critical current density (Jc) of Nb$_{3}$Sn conductors, coupled with a large effective filament size, have drawn attention to the problem of magnetothermal instabilities. At low magnetic fields, the quench current of such high Jc Nb$_{3}$Sn strands is significantly lower than their critical current because of the above-mentioned instabilities. An adiabatic model to calculate the minimum current at which a strand can quench due to magneto-thermal instabilities is developed. The model is based on an 'integral' approach already used elsewhere [1]. The main difference with respect to the previous model is the addition of the self-field effect that allows to describe premature quenches of non-magnetized Nb$_{3}$Sn strands and to better calculate the quench current of strongly magnetized strands. The model is in good agreement with experimental results at 4.2 K obtained at Fermilab using virgin Modified Jelly Roll (MJR) strands with a low Residual Resistivity Ratio (RRR) of the stabilizing copper. The prediction of the model at 1.9 K and the results of the tests carried out at CERN, at 4.2 K and 1.9 K, on a 0.8 mm Rod Re-Stack Process (RRP) strand with a low RRR value are discussed. At 1.9 K the test revealed an unexpected strand performance at low fields that might be a sign of a new stability regime

Nb3AlNb_{3}Al prototype conductor for the transmission line magnet

The Very Large Hadron Collider (VLHC), under consideration for construction at Fermilab in the next 1-2 decades, is a 100 TeV cm pp collider. A major cost driver is the magnet. R&D is underway on several possible magnet designs. A low-field (2T) superferric magnet, sometimes called a transmission line magnet, may be the most cost- effective route to the VLHC. Although NbTi is now the cheapest superconductor measured in cost/kA-meter, Nb/sub 3/Al has the potential advantage that it remains superconducting at higher temperature. It may be particularly suited to the single "turn" and long straight lengths of the transmission line design. The combination of the simple magnet design and the higher strain tolerance than e.g. Nb/sub 3/Sn allows a simple process of cable fabrication, reaction, and magnet assembly. This higher strain tolerance is an advantage for splicing in the field. Sumitomo Electric Industries is producing an Nb/sub 3/Al conductor for the Fermilab low-field magnet program. (9 refs)

Development and Test of a Large-aperture Nb3Sn Cos-theta Dipole Coil with Stress Management

The design concept of the Electron Ion Collider (EIC), which is under construction at BNL, considers adding a 2nd Interaction Region (IR) and detector to the machine after completion of the present EIC project. Recent progress with development and fabrication of large-aperture high-field magnets based on the Nb3Sn technology for the HL-LHC makes this technology interesting for the 2nd EIC IR. This paper summarizes the results of feasibility studies of large-aperture high-field Nb3Sn dipoles and quadrupoles for the 2nd EIC IR.Comment: IPAC 2023. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2304.1315

Jagged2 controls the generation of motor neuron and oligodendrocyte progenitors in the ventral spinal cord

In the developing spinal cord, motor neurons (MNs) and oligodendrocytes arise sequentially from a common pool of progenitors. However, the genetic network responsible for this neurogenesis to gliogenesis switch is largely unknown. A transcriptome analysis identified the Notch ligand Jagged2 (JAG2) as a Sonic hedgehog-regulated factor transiently expressed in MN progenitors (pMNs). In vivo loss- and gain-of-function experiments show that JAG2 schedules the differentiation of the pMN progenitors. At early developmental stages, Olig2 expressing pMN progenitors that enter the differentiation pathway exclusively generate MNs. At these times, the activation of the Notch pathway by JAG2 maintains selected pMN progenitors in an undifferentiated state by two mechanisms; first it inhibits MN generation by reducing Olig2 proteins levels, and second it directly inhibits the premature generation of oligodendrocyte progenitors (OLPs) by maintaining high levels of Hes5. Later, extinction of JAG2 from the pMN results in the loss of Hes5 expression, heralding the gliogenic phase of pMN progenitors. Strikingly, downregulation of JAG2 in pMN progenitors is sufficient to promote the precocious generation of OLPs. Together these data provide evidence that JAG2 is a key regulator of the timely and ordered generation of two of the defining cell types in the spinal cord, MNs and OLPs

Design of a Probe for Strain Sensitivity Studies of Critical Current Densities in SC Wires and Tapes

The design of a variable-temperature probe used to perform strain sensitivity measurements on LTS wires and HTS wires and tapes is described. The measurements are intended to be performed at liquid helium temperatures (4.2 K). The wire or tape to be measured is wound and soldered on to a helical spring device, which is fixed at one end and subjected to a torque at the free end. The design goal is to be able to achieve {+-} 0.8 % strain in the wire and tape. The probe is designed to carry a current of 2000A