US3874074A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method of fabricating a stabilized composite superconductor
Assignee: BBC Brown Boveri AG Switzerland
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Filing: 1973-05-30
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Granted: 1975-04-01
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Expires: 1993-05-30
Abstract
Abstract A method for producing electrical superconductors consisting of a great number parallel spaced thin filaments of a superconductive material in which diffusion is effected in parallel spaced zones between two adjoining metallic layers, one being vanadium and the other a copper-gallium alloy by utilization of a foreign substance between the layers establishing similar parallel spaced zones in which diffusion of gallium into the vanadium is either prevented or the superconductive properties of the inter-metallic compound formed by the diffusion is considerably reduced. The layered material with the foreign substance therebetween is formed into rods the axis of which corresponds to the direction of the parallel spaced zones; these rods are then embedded in a cylinder of a highly electrical conductive matrix material such as copper or aluminum, after which the matrix cylinder is subjected to a drawing operation to effect a reduction in its cross section and hence also the cross sections of the rods embedded therein, and then heat-treated to effect the desired diffusion of gallium from the copper-gallium layers to the adjacent vanadium layers along the parallel spaced zones between zones in which diffusion has been prevented or the superconductive properties of the inter-metallic compound formed at such zones have been reduced by the presence of the foreign substance.
Inventors
- 👤 Gundolf Meyer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 02:05
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10N; H10N60/00; H10N60/01; H10N60/0184; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S505/00; Y10S505/825; Y10S505/917; Y10S505/918; Y10S505/919; Y10S505/92; Y10S505/921; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49014
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
249 words
IN THE METHOD FOR PRODUCING ELECTRICAL SUPERCONDUCTORS CONSISTING OF A GREAT NUMBER OF MUTUALLY SPACED FINE FILAMENTS OF A SUPERCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION OF A MATERIAL OF A FIRST LAYER INTO A MATERIAL OF A SECOND ADJACENT LAYER, THE IMPROVEMENTS WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF FORMING BETWEEN SAID LAYERS MUTUALLY SPACED ZONES OF A FOREIGN SUBSTANCE EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE TO BE FORMED SUPERCONDUCTORS AND WHICH FUNCTION TO PREVENT SUFFUSION WITHIN SAID SECOND LAYER AT ITS ZONES OR TO AT LEAST GREATLY REDUCE THE SUPER CONDUCTIVE PROPERTIES OF THE INTERMETALLIC COMPOUND FORMED AT ITS ZONES BY DIFFUSING INTO SAID SECOND LAYER, FORMING SAID LAYERS INTO RODS EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE FOREIGN SUBSTANCE INTRODUCED BETWEEN SAID LAYERS, EMBEDDING SAID RODS MUTUALLY SPACED RELATION WITHIN A CYLINDRICAL MATRIX MADE FROM A HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL, DRAWING SAID MATRIX CYLINDER INTO A SMALLER DIAMETER THUS EFFECTING A CORRESPONDING ELONGATION AND REDUCTION IN DIAMETER OF SAID RODS AND AN INTER-METALLIC BONDING BETWEEN THE LAYERS THEREOF, AND HEAT TREATING SAID MATRIX EMBEDDED RODS AT A TEMPERATURE HIGH ENOUGH TO EFFECT DIFFUSION OF THE MATERIAL OF SAID FIRST LAYER INTO THE MATERIAL OF THE SECOND LAYER ALONG MUTUALLY SPACED ZONES BETWEEN ZONES IN WHICH DIFFUSION IS PREVENTED BY THE PRESENCE OF SAID FOREIGN SUBSTANCE OR BETWEEN ZONES WHEREIN THE PRESENCE OF SAID FOREIGN SUBSTANCE SERVES TO REDUCE THE SUPERCONDUCTIVE PROPERTIES OF THE INTER-METALLIC COMPOUND FORMED AT ITS ZONES BY DIFFUSION INTO SAID SECOND LAYER THEREBY TO ESTABLISH MUTUALLY SPACED FINE SUPERCONDUCTIVE FILAMENTS.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
249 words
IN THE METHOD FOR PRODUCING ELECTRICAL SUPERCONDUCTORS CONSISTING OF A GREAT NUMBER OF MUTUALLY SPACED FINE FILAMENTS OF A SUPERCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION OF A MATERIAL OF A FIRST LAYER INTO A MATERIAL OF A SECOND ADJACENT LAYER, THE IMPROVEMENTS WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF FORMING BETWEEN SAID LAYERS MUTUALLY SPACED ZONES OF A FOREIGN SUBSTANCE EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE TO BE FORMED SUPERCONDUCTORS AND WHICH FUNCTION TO PREVENT SUFFUSION WITHIN SAID SECOND LAYER AT ITS ZONES OR TO AT LEAST GREATLY REDUCE THE SUPER CONDUCTIVE PROPERTIES OF THE INTERMETALLIC COMPOUND FORMED AT ITS ZONES BY DIFFUSING INTO SAID SECOND LAYER, FORMING SAID LAYERS INTO RODS EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE FOREIGN SUBSTANCE INTRODUCED BETWEEN SAID LAYERS, EMBEDDING SAID RODS MUTUALLY SPACED RELATION WITHIN A CYLINDRICAL MATRIX MADE FROM A HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL, DRAWING SAID MATRIX CYLINDER INTO A SMALLER DIAMETER THUS EFFECTING A CORRESPONDING ELONGATION AND REDUCTION IN DIAMETER OF SAID RODS AND AN INTER-METALLIC BONDING BETWEEN THE LAYERS THEREOF, AND HEAT TREATING SAID MATRIX EMBEDDED RODS AT A TEMPERATURE HIGH ENOUGH TO EFFECT DIFFUSION OF THE MATERIAL OF SAID FIRST LAYER INTO THE MATERIAL OF THE SECOND LAYER ALONG MUTUALLY SPACED ZONES BETWEEN ZONES IN WHICH DIFFUSION IS PREVENTED BY THE PRESENCE OF SAID FOREIGN SUBSTANCE OR BETWEEN ZONES WHEREIN THE PRESENCE OF SAID FOREIGN SUBSTANCE SERVES TO REDUCE THE SUPERCONDUCTIVE PROPERTIES OF THE INTER-METALLIC COMPOUND FORMED AT ITS ZONES BY DIFFUSION INTO SAID SECOND LAYER THEREBY TO ESTABLISH MUTUALLY SPACED FINE SUPERCONDUCTIVE FILAMENTS.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the outer surface of each said rod is constituted by the material of said second layer to prevent contamination of the matrix material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said first layer is a copper-gallium alloy, said second layer is vanadium into which gallium from said first layer is diffused and said matrix is copper.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method as defined in claim 3 wherein the outer surface of said rod is completely covered with vanadium to prevent contamination of the copper matrix.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said rods are formed by winding the layered materials about an axis corresponding to the axis of the mutually spaced zones of the foreign substance introduced between the layers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as defined in claim 5 wherein the layered materials are wound about a cylindrical core consisting of the first material to establish a rod having a cylindrical configuration.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method as defined in claim 5 wherein the layered materials are wound about an axis in such manner as to establish a rectangular configuration for the rod.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said rods are formed by folding the layered materials back and forth to establish a rod having a rectangular configuration.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said rods are formed by stacking said layers upon each other to establish a rod having a rectangular configuration.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said rods have a cylindrical configuration and said matrix cylinder is provided with mutually spaced longitudinally extending bores into which said cylindrical rods are inserted.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said rods have a rectangular configuration which are placed within said matrix cylinder in mutually spaced relation and the spaces therebetween filled with pieces made from the matrix material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said first layer is made from a copper-gallium alloy, said second layer is made from vanadium, and the heat treatment subsequent to drawing of said matrix cylinder takes place at a temperature between 400* and 600* C and preferably about 550* C.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method as defined in claim 12 wherein the heat treatment extends for about 10 hours.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method as defined in claim 12 wherein to eliminate brittleness in the superconductive material working is effected under hydrostatic pressure at ambient temperature.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said matrix cylinder with the rods embedded therein is subjected to a preliminary pressing operation to establish A firm contact between the layers of the rods as well as between the rods and the surrounding matrix material thereby to eliminate any hollow spaces therebetween prior to the drawing operation.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
64 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said first layer is a copper-gallium alloy, said second layer is vanadium into which gallium from said first layer is diffused and said foreign substance is selected from the group consisting of tin and aluminum which serves to reduce the superconductive properties of the inter-metallic compound formed at its zones by diffusion into said second layer.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said first layer is a copper-gallium alloy, said second layer is vanadium into which gallium from said first layer is diffused, and said foreign substance is selected from the group consisting of molybdenum and tantalum which functions to prevent diffusion of the gallium into said second layer.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-31 | 1978-09-30 | 1979-04-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-31 | 1982-09-30 | 1983-04-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-31 | 1986-09-30 | 1987-04-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |