High strength Nb3Sn conductors for high magnetic field applications

A relatively-high-conductivity copper-based material which retains its high strength after reaction heat treatment has been used to replace some of the copper stabilizer, both on the outside of the conductor and between the filaments. It is shown that a dispersion hardened copper alloy, C15715, containing 0.7 vol.% Al₂O₃, can be incorporated into a tabular tin source (TTS) material in two different locations, without significant fabrication problems. The alloy could also be applied to the other processes for producing the Nb₃Sn, including the bronze process. When the alloy is located between the filaments, it should decrease the sausaging that may occur in the certain designs. When used to replace the high purity copper stabilizer on the outside of the TTS and conventional internal tin materials, very significant increases in the overall strength of the conductor result